The Story of Kaname Kurushima
by Von Faye
Summary: Kaname Kurushima is forced to go to the Hidden Leaf Village after the destruction of her village. Many things will unfold and new paths will show themselves. Rated M for yuri lemons and language.
1. The story of Kaname Kurushima

**It's ya boy Von Faye working on his very first Fanfiction. As I just said, I am extremely new to this. I will be featuring plenty of original characters that I'm sure you will all enjoy. I welcome criticism, but no flaming. By the way, could you give me some writing tips? I'd really appreciate dat.**

**WARNING: READ THIS VERY WELL! There will be Yuri in this. If you don't know what that is, it's girl girl. If you don't like that, why the hell is u reading this? If you do, enough said.**

**Disclaimer: I may not own Naruto, but I own my characters. If I did own Naruto, it would be exactly like this. (Curse you Musashi Kishimoto, I do have one up on you though. BOOYA!)**

**Summary: Kaname, a resident of the Village Hidden in the Mountains, is forced to go to the Leaf after the destruction of her village. Many things will unfold and new paths will show themselves.**

The conflagration had now engulfed the entire village. As a shinobi of this village, whose name was Kaname Kurushima looked on. Her countenance now showed quite crooked features in her frenzy and anger. "I leave the village for one day and this happens! It had to have been his doing." She thinks to himself. She thinks of all her villagers and shinobi that she failed. She walks down that murky and forlorn trail, and then takes one look back at the village. "I'm going to miss all of you." She runs swiftly in the course of the Hidden Leaf Village, her dark black hair trailing behind her. She was about five four in height. She wasn't the strongest shinobi around, but you could easily tell she worked out often. She wasn't overly sexual or anything, but her voice could make you cum on the spot. Yes, it is that sexy. She trains under the martial arts and dedicates herself to them. Her hair is so long it is tied in a braid, two in fact. Her eyes can mesmerize anyone and see straight through your soul. They are a green color like emeralds shining in the light. Her lips are full and soft, like any female who cares about her looks. Her eyelashes are extremely long and they flutter beautifully when she blinks. They flutter like butterflies. Her shoulders are toned, but still very soft and feminine. Only she can pull that off. Her breasts weren't big, but they weren't small either. They were quite soft, at least in her opinion and they gave her room to breath. Her stomach is toned much like the rest of her body. She has a six pack and she was quite proud of it simply for the fact that she worked very hard for it. The woman's hips were quite voluptuous and it turned a lot of guys on and made a lot of girls jealous. She was very pale just like her parents. Her legs easily made up for what her breasts didn't have. You can easily see the muscles in her thighs. She wore a very tight shirt that showed off her abs nicely. Her skirt was just above the knee. It was also very intricate with various designs across it. She wore boots with socks that stopped just at her skirt.

It was a typical day in the Hidden Leaf Village. The birds were singing, the squirrels were gathering nuts for the wintry weather and butterflies were busy fluttering about. However, what everyone did not know was that they were about to have a guest, a very influential guest. Since training was over for team seven, they decided to spend a little bit of alone time at Ichiraku. Naruto and Sasuke were at their usual bickering, and Sakura would usually jump in to defend Sasuke, but not today. Something in her gut told her today wouldn't be a normal day. They were especially into it today, so they didn't even notice when Sakura excused herself and walked out to the village gates. That is when she saw her. Saw her running like the wind. She was quite beautiful in Sakura's opinion. She stopped right in front of Sakura and eyed her with apprehension in her emerald eyes. "May I speak to the Hokage?" That was sudden.

"Why do you need to speak to her" a raven haired boy asked her.

"I mean no harm, but the fires of tomorrow decided to attack today. I hail from the Village Hidden in the Mountains. It was utterly destroyed by the flames of a demon. The winds of fate blew my petals and they landed here. I am now hoping this can be my new garden." Naruto finally decided to speak up, but another voice beat him to it.

"So you must be Kaname Kurushima, the prodigy Genin from the Mountain Village." Kaname quickly bowed in respect to this great leader and Sannin that was before her. "Yes, however I am no prodigy. I am an average digit just like any other. I have merely come… she was quickly interrupted by Tsunade's voice.

"To see if you could find a place among us?" Kaname as well as everyone else looked up at her with surprise. How could she have known they thought. Tsunade laughed at the looks she was getting, but answered in a happy tone.

"I am the Hokage, so I should know what's going on with our allies. Come to my tower and we can talk more.

"I don't want to go alone." She turns to look at Sakura. "Will you accompany me?" Sakura gives her a cute smile and hops beside her.

"Ready when you are Kaname." Kaname took a hard long look at Sakura and it didn't take her long to realize Sakura had pink hair.

"What's your name and what is up with your hair? It's a pink color." Sakura laughed cutely and answers Kaname's questions.

"My name is Sakura Haruno. As for my hair, it's always been this color. I was born this way. It's really strange.

"I don't find it strange at all. As a matter of fact, I find it quite interesting. It reminds me of a cherry blossom.

"Your hair is much better. It's so long.

"It took me quite a while to grow it out like this." The conversation ends as they make their way inside the Hokage's Tower. Kaname didn't expect it to look so extravagant. She had only been here once or twice as a child and she could hardly remember it. She wondered what it was like to be a Hokage. Her mouth was agape the entire time until she finally found herself face to face with the Hokage. Tsunade cleared her throat and began to speak.

"Do you have any idea who may have done this Kaname? Kaname thought long and hard, but couldn't seem to come up with anything.

"As much as I seek an answer for this heinous act, nothing comes to the horizon of my brain. Our Erikage didn't have many enemies, if any at all. He was a very kind man and hated violence. I only wish I could see my dear friends again." The look on Kaname's face said it all. Sakura was a smart girl and she knew what that last sentence meant. Her friends were dead, if not the whole village. Tsunade hesitated before speaking again, this time in a consoling tone.

"I know how you feel. We will do our best to figure out who did this to your village and make them pay for their crimes. In the meantime, you will stay here in this tower. Kaname did not object, but a certain pink haired kunoichi did.

"Why do you have to keep her trapped in here? Why can't she stay at our place? Tsunade slammed her fist so hard on the desk it made both Sakura and Kaname jump.

"She is a stranger to you Sakura! How can you trust her so soon? Sakura was hurt, but she didn't let it show.

"Didn't you say she was an ally? This isn't exactly the most comfortable place to be in. besides, I'm sure she would get quite lonely by herself. Kaname decided to insert herself into the situation, on the side of Tsunade.

"Tsunade is right. You don't even know me and I don't have any right to intrude on your bearings. I'll be fine here.

"Besides, what would your mother think of this Sakura?

"I'm sure she would be fine with it." Tsunade lets out a long sigh and finally gives in. This was wasting her valuable drinking time and there was no way she was going to let that happen. She told Kaname that she would be staying with Sakura and if she caused problems, she would be punished. With a bow, Sakura and Kaname exits the Hokage Tower and heads toward her place.

"Why do you trust me so soon? Trust isn't something I'm used to." Sakura looks up at the taller girl and grins. Kaname found herself smiling too.

"I can already tell you don't mean any harm to anyone." Sakura spoke her next words carefully.

"I also saw the look on your face when Tsunade spoke of your village. I was hoping we could become friends. Kaname looks up at the sky and lets out a sigh. She turns back to Sakura with tears in her eyes.

"Senju Rokkaku and Kodan Akaza. I will miss those two more than anyone else. Sakura didn't what to say, so she just let Kaname continue.

"They were my teammates. Our Jonin master died during our very first mission and we refused to get a replacement. I had started to fall in love with Senju a few months before this happened. I left on a mission because I heard a rumor that both of them had been sighted plotting with Orochimaru. When I came back, my village was destroyed." Sakura was extremely surprised at how Kaname handled the situation. The look of sadness in her eyes had been replaced with a fierce look of determination. Sakura liked the way her green eyes glowed in the sunlight. It made her pale complexion stand out. They were silent until they made it to Sakura's house. It was a pretty house, lined with family pictures all along the wall. Sakura noticed Kaname took an extreme liking to these pictures. Sakura guessed because her family probably perished in the fire that took away her village. Sakura's mother was in the kitchen cooking when she finally noticed her daughter in the doorway with Kaname. Her father was sitting on the couch reading a newspaper. Her mother discarded what she was doing at the moment to give her daughter and Kaname a motherly hug.

"There is no need to explain yourself Sakura. Tsunade already told us about her. She's a pretty one isn't she?" Kaname blushed at this statement. She couldn't remember anyone calling her pretty for quite some time. Besides, the pale girl wasn't used to compliments.

"I'm an average girl. I really don't like intruding like this.

"You aren't intruding at all my dear. Dinner should be ready soon." Sakura took Kaname up to her room where they spoke some more.

"Your family seems so happy. Do I really belong here? Sakura pouted and Kaname laughed. This made Sakura laugh too. She was happy she could cheer the girl up after her mood had been so down.

"Of course you belong here, and if you ever try to leave, I'll give you a beating. Kaname grabs the collar of Sakura's shirt playfully and puts her fist to Sakura's cheek.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. You know nothing of my talents." Kaname let her go and yawned, then rubbed her eyes.

"You look tired. Go ahead and use my bed if you want." Kaname, as usual, objected.

"Oh no, this is your bed. I also want to stay awake for dinner. It smells so good and I haven't eaten since I got here. Kaname could smell the food mixing with the air and it made her mouth water. Sakura's mother called to them and Kaname was way before anyone else in the kitchen. After they had settled down in the dining room, Kaname didn't eat until the food was passed to her. It was an uneventful dinner until Sakura and her mother excused themselves from the table and Sakura's father spoke to Kaname.

"What do you want with my daughter? Kaname didn't see this sudden outburst of rage coming at all. She kept her cool and answered in the best way she could. Whatever this guy meant, she was going to get to the bottom of it.

"I don't understand what you mean. Could you state your worry clearer?" For some odd reason, this seemed to piss him off. She guessed that he thought she was trying to be a smart ass. She attempted to restate herself, but he wasn't having it. His face contorted into a look of anger and spite. Saliva found its way to the corners of his mouth. He looked like a madman, but Kaname wasn't scared. It took far more than this to intimidate her. He spoke low and harshly for her to recognize the true anger that had welled up inside of him.

"You know damn well what the fuck I mean Kaname. You want my daughter don't you? You want to get her in her panties and taste her. I can see it in your lesbian eyes. If you ever do something like that to her, I will make you regret ever coming to this village. Kaname excused herself from the table and went to the bathroom and shut the door. She stared at herself in the mirror. She couldn't believe her ears. She let his words replay in her head. She had never been called a lesbian before and it made her mad. She couldn't imagine doing that to any girl, especially Sakura. She splashed some water on her face and made her way back to Sakura's room. She hoped to the gods that Sakura's father wouldn't confront her about this or it would probably change the way Sakura felt about her. She went to Sakura's room to find the pink haired kunoichi watching television. Sakura didn't realize that Kaname had entered the room and Kaname decided to playfully attack her. She crawled slowly until she was about a foot away from Sakura. To her dismay, just as she pounced, Sakura turned around and she lighted right on top of her. Kaname put too much power into it and her lips locked with Sakura. Kaname leaped off of her prey quickly and wiped her mouth. She didn't really find it disgusting, but she didn't want Sakura to think she was gay. Kaname was surprised when she heard Sakura laugh.

"I didn't think you wanted me so soon Kaname. You should have told me. Kaname scowled and went to lie down. She had enough for one day and decided to doze off.

* * *

**I guess I'll stop it right here. I'm not sure when I'll update again, due to the fact that I won't have cpu access for about two months. I'm just really amp about getting this story up and running. I know this chapter might have been kind of boring, but I had to introduce Kaname in just the right way. Please leave me a review. It will give me a reason to right more. The Black Pope has Spoken!**


	2. The first mission

**This is the second chappy of my story. Hopefully this chapter won't be as boring and it will get more into the actual plot. By the way, two more of my OC will show themselves. I ain't really sure how long this is gonna be, but as long as I got ideas for it, they gonna be on this site, ya feel me? Please read and review. Oh yeah, I've also gotten a new cpu a lot faster than I thought I would so expect me to update with a chapter a day. That's what I'm hoping to do at least.**

Kaname awoke to the smell of food downstairs and went to see who it was. Sure enough, it was Sakura cooking breakfast for the two. Sakura greeted her with a good morning and asked her if she would like anything. Kaname shook her head and was about to head out when Sakura told her Tsunade had given team seven a mission and Kaname was asked to come with them. Sakura expected Kaname to ask questions, but she did not and Sakura continued.

"We're going to meet at the village gates. I'll introduce you to the rest of the team after we get there." As they were traveling, Kaname wondered what the mission was.

"What are we supposed to be doing?" Sakura turned to her and gave her a sad look. Kaname began to become afraid. Sakura noticed that she must have had a lot of things to be afraid of.

"We're going to inspect the remains of your village to see if we can find any clues as to who burned it down." Kaname's eyes lit up once again with determination. She had been waiting to do this ever since it was destroyed. She would gain revenge for her village, no matter the cost. They arrived at the gates to see the rest of the team waiting for them. After everyone was properly introduced, the group headed out. Kaname could remember this area like yesterday. She thought of the roar and the heat of the flames. She thought of mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, men and women, crying their final cries of this earthly plain. When they finally made it to where the village stood, Kaname was devastated. She wanted to cry, but she would not give the culprit the satisfaction of knowing that he or she had gotten to her. As they turned to leave, a snake of a man and his three subordinates greeted them. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know who these guys were. Kakashi and his team instantly readied themselves for battle. Orochimaru was a legendary Sannin and definitely not a pushover. Kakashi also noticed Kabuto here as well, but the other two he had never seen before. As if Kaname read his mind, she spoke the name of these two.

"Doichi Katuga, the son of my sensei and Katsuya Sogo, the Erikage's personal advisor. What are you two doing with the likes of this snake?" Doichi was four years older than Kaname, so this made him sixteen. His eyes were an orange color. He kept his hair short and untidy and he wielded a large crescent blade. He had various scars around his chest and torso that showed his experience of harsh battle. He wore an open vest with a necklace of a skull. His face gave no signs of how he felt at the moment. He also had a mark on his chest shaped like the moon. The other warrior, Katsuya, was much older and looked to be in his mid thirties. He wore his hair in a high ponytail and wore a samurai armor and wielded two katanas on either side of his waist. He had a gash under his left eye. The strangest thing about this fellow was that each of his eyes was two colors. Red and black infused to show that he wasn't interested in mercy. Orochimaru's men were ready for a fight, but he clearly wasn't, but he would fight if the need arised. Sakura was afraid and she held on to Sasuke for dear life. The raven-haired boy eyed Doichi suspicously. Orochimaru decided to open his mouth to break the silence.

"Kaname Kurushima, if you are wondering who did this to your pathetic village, it was us." Doichi snickered and Katsuya did nothing. Kabuto pushed his glasses up on his face. Kaname wanted a piece of him so badly but Kakashi held her in place.

"Don't be foolish Kaname. You'll only get killed trying to fight him. This is too much Orochimaru. I thought it was the Hidden Leaf Village you were after?" Orochimaru found this funny and signaled to Doichi to explain what all of this was about.

"This Erikage of yours, was a long time friend of the Third Hokage. We were guessing that he would probably want Orochimaru's head for killing his buddy, so we attacked first. We're also responsible for the final tests of this village. We corrupted said Erikage and made him take each of you shinobi to the Darkness Realm. You haven't been having problems with the evil inside of you, have you Kaname?" Everyone turned to look at Kaname. She let out a sigh as she attempted to explain herself.

"This Darkness Realm he speaks of is the final test to become a Genin. It is a realm of darkness and evil. For most of us didn't get to see our families after we were taken there. As for me, I was lucky. It only tore out my sins of killing and created an evil entity inside of me. The designs on my skirt were stitched there by my grandmother to stop it from surfacing. Please don't think lowly of me because of this." At these words, the evil ninja all vanished and everyone made their way back to the village. Kaname was happy that she had finally gotten an answer as to why all this happened. They return to Sakura's house and she doesn't eat or can hardly sleep when night comes. Only revenge is on her mind. The next week, another mission is given to her. It seems there were an unusual amount of avalanches in the Village Hidden in the Stones and she, Naruto, Neji, and Lee are sent to investigate. Neji looked at Kaname curiously. The news about her evil side had spread quickly in the village and most of the citizens were afraid of her. Naruto tried to do his best to comfort her, as he knew how this was. He had once gone through it himself and he didn't want her to feel the sting of it. However, one good thing did happen to Kaname. Sometime during the last week, she was placed on Team Seven and she had grown much closer to Naruto, Kakashi and Sakura. Sasuke ignored her much like he did Sakura. The trip to the Village Hidden in the Stones was a quiet one. That is until they ran into two male shinobis who obviously didn't want to make friends. As they approached the younger ninjas, the bigger one spoke first.

"So you must be the young punks from the Hidden Leaf Village? Do you dare try and stand up to the mighty Naotake Niwa?" This Naotake wore a patch around his left eye and his body was almost rock like in structure. He was a young man and he had a very long white goatee. His hair was red and fell along his back. He wore no shirt and his nails were very sharp. The other one introduced himself as Sawamura Akechi. He was one of those guys who had major fan girls. His hair was long and silver and his bangs hung across his face, leaving it in a type of eerie shadow. His eyes glowed with yellow white light and his smile was charming. He looked a lot less bloodthirsty and everything about him screamed elegant. He spoke a lot less cocky than his friend did and he seemed to not take a liking as to how Naotake was doing things. Neji scanned the two with his byakugan and found their chakra flow to be about the level of Jonin. He knew fighting these two wouldn't be easy and told everyone to stay on their toes. The genin suddenly found themselves surrounded by rock clones. As the clones rushed to attack, they were suddenly destroyed by kunai thrown in that direction. A girl appeared in front of the genin.

"Leave these Leaf ninja alone Naotake, or I will have no choice but to do you in." Naotake almost flinched at the harshness in her voice and turned to his friend with fear.

" Let's get out of here Sawamura. Ashina is too strong for us. Sawamura accepted his friend's proposal and the two vanished in a puff of smoke. Ashina turned back to the group and bowed politely.

"I am Ashina Yuzamura, the strongest Jonin of this village. You are Leaf ninja correct?" Naruto decided to answer before anyone else could.

"That's right and I'm going to be Hokage someday. I don't know who those guys thought they were, but I could have taken them both on." Kaname and Neji just rolled their eyes. They hated it when the orange jumpsuit wearing boy got like this. It made them look ridiculous. Ashina brushed her bangs out of her hair and smiled at the blonde youngster.

"Being Hokage is a huge task you know. If you try your hardest though, I know you can do it." Neji didn't want to interrupt, but he wanted to finish this mission as quickly as possible.

"Have you any idea where those two could have gone?"

"I know exactly where they are and what they want to do."

* * *

**I think I've finally kinda got some kind of plot going. I bet many of you didn't expect Kaname to have an evil side, huh? Anyway, there will be some action in the next chapter and you will also be introduced to Kaname's neat ability, the illusion eye. Many of you have probably guessed this, but this is a filler. I want this to feel like an actual anime, you feel me? I'm sorry that this chapter was kinda short. I just didn't want to try and leave a cliffhanger. Please leave me a review. It would mean so much to me and Kaname (LOL). The Black Pope has spoken!**


	3. The Chunin Exams: The Mystery Team

**Hello everybody, Von Faye, The Black Pope once again to give you the best of the best. Anyway, I'm going to try and finish up this little filler in this chapter. This chapter will also feature my first fight scene. By the way, where are the reviews people? Do I really suck this bad? Without further ado, the third chappy of my fic baby. And no flaming. Criticism and compliments appreciated.**

**P.S. Sorry for leaving out the disclaimer last time.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but if I did, it would be exactly like this. (Pulls out a shotgun and aims at Kishimoto's head.)**

The team traveled into the heart of the village where they stopped at a restaurant. It was a fancy restaurant. It was white and everything inside was shiny and well polished. The tables were huge and the wood used to make them was very slick and well made. It amazed the group that Ashina would take these complete strangers here to talk about matters. She had explained that those two were troublemakers from their earliest days in the academy. When they had become grown men, they had become architects. They had discovered a great and legendary artifact known as a hollowed stone. It is said to give the wielder incredible strength if its powers could be unlocked. The village had figured out it was in their possession and it was taken and destroyed. They attacked the village out of revenge. After this was all settled inside the genin's heads, they embarked on their journey without Ashina. She had said that other things needed to be done inside the Stone Village and she could not leave it. They all said their farewells and moved out once more. They searched all over for the group without luck until Lee noticed something. It was a long rocky road that led underground. It looked to have been made by a human's hand. Seeing this as a clue, Neji ordered everyone to be on his or her guard and make their way inside of the den carefully. It led to a catacomb that was at least thousands of years old. Its walls were heavily dug inside and it stunk of rotten flesh. Kaname held her nose, for she was not used to such things. The passage twisted like a snake, leading them this way and that. It wasn't long however, until they ran into their prey once more. Neji had guessed this was their hideout. Naotake wasn't the slightest bit frightened at them finding him and his partner. He laughed and shrugged it off as he transformed his arm into a rock like weapon. Sawamura questioned as to why he and his partner must fight the group. He was met with no answer and looked at his prey with a look they had never seen before. He ripped away a handful of his hair and it was morphed into a sword. The edge of this sword was long and silver. It also dripped with green poison. Before the genin could even make a move, Naotake lunged. His attack targeted Naruto. Naruto had seen it coming and quickly sidestepped out of the way. Kaname moved to help Naruto as Neji and Lee went after Sawamura. Naotake knew that numbers was not on his side. Acting quickly, he was able to catch Naruto with a brutal elbow to his cheek that sent him against the wall. Kaname was the fastest of the group and looked to attack Naotake before he could do any more damage. She underestimated her Jonin opponent however and was smacked in much the same way as Naruto. She cried out before being smashed into another wall. Lee and Neji were doing a little better. Lee had managed to land some hard hits to Sawamura's face, but he was still very much standing. Naruto made his way back to his feet and Naotake eyed him hungrily. Using his speed to try and break through Naruto's defenses, he used an uppercut from his rock arm. Naruto reacted faster and sidestepped the blow and finally found some offense. Cocking his right arm back, he connected to Naotake's face. Kaname knew it was her turn and rushed her opponent with an aggressive roundhouse kick which made spit fly from his mouth. Sawamura wasn't doing so good either as Neji and Lee used a various combination of punches and kicks to torment his now tired body. It had been a grueling battle for both sides, but neither was ready to back down just yet.

"We can't afford to lose to these genin Sawamura." Naotake's voice held panic. If he were to die here, he would never see his mission fulfilled.

"Do you think its time we show them our ultimate weapon?" This made Naotake's face light up with a smile.

"Yeah, let's do it." Out of nowhere, the catacomb itself transformed into a gigantic rock like monster. As if things couldn't get any worse, Naotake and Sawamura infused themselves inside of it to make it even stronger. An evil laugh retreated from the monster's vocal cords as his tiny eyes looked at the genin with amusement.

"Which one of you wishes to feel the wrath of the mighty rock golem himself?" Kaname stepped up to his challenge with a cocky air. She knew what she had to do. She had been saving this technique for a rainy day and she thought it was about time she showed it off.

"You will face off against me, Kaname Kurushima." The rest of the squad was bewildered. There was no way she could beat that thing alone. Naruto called out to his fellow squad member with fear and concern in his voice.

"You can't beat him by yourself. Let us help you."

"Leave her alone you two. Something tells me she's got something planned." Naruto and Lee reluctantly accepted the team leader's proposal and stepped back. If anything happened to his partner, Naruto would have Neji's head on a platter. The rock golem sent his fist crashing down on Kaname's standing form. She moved elegantly and ran the length of its arm until she got to its head, evading any blows until she reached her destination. She put both hands on top of its head, and with a mighty kick she leveled her foe. He fell to the ground with an enormous bang as dust rose all around him. Kaname flipped back to the ground and eyed the monster with evil intent about her. That's when everyone noticed a change. The entire inside of her eyes had gone completely red except for a weird symbol that seemed to rotate inside of her retna. She then turned back to the monster and everyone saw a flash of blinding white light that made them all feel weak in the knees. When it was safe to open their eyes again, the monster was on his knees begging for mercy.

"My soul is being ripped from the inside. Why must you torture me so? I am sorry, I am sorry!" This sudden fear of his surprised Naruto and Lee, but not Neji. He had heard of this technique before.

"That is the Illusion Eye, the bloodline trait of the Kurushima family. I had no idea you knew how to wield its power." Kaname gave him a saddened look and her eyes changed back to their emerald green color. Everyone studied her for some kind of an answer. She only seemed to get weirder and weirder and this also showed she was no ordinary genin.

"My Illusion Eye uses the power of my mind to trap the opponent in a type of imaginary world. It allows them to see their scariest fears. Once you are inside of it, there is no escape. You will suffer for eternity. It is an ability I don't use unless it is needed. It comes with a price on me."

"And what is this price?" The curious Lee asked her.

"It could trap me inside of my own mind and make me suffer along with its prey." That is why I use it so scarcely. Plus, it is a very painful way to spend eternity." The trip back to the Stone Village was uneventful. The group said their goodbyes to Ashina and the rest of the village and headed back to report to Tsunade. The report was given and Tsunade asked Neji to stay with her.

"Lady Hokage, she showed us the power of her Illusion Eye." Tsunade rose from her seat to take a look outside the window as if something she could only see piqued her interest.

"The Illusion Eye, a very rare and deadly ability indeed. See to it that no one outside this village realizes what she has. If it is to be found out, we could have a major war on our hands.

Kaname was happy the mission was finally over and she could see Sakura again. She missed the girl's voice. She made her way to Sakura's home and before she could even knock, the door swung open and Sakura pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. Kaname returned the hug as best she could, but it was pretty hard when you could hardly breathe.

"I was so worried about you Kaname." Sakura chatted on gleefully. Sakura released her grip on her friend after realizing that she nearly killed her. She let Kaname regain her oxygen and the conversation continued.

"How did you know that was me Sakura?" Kaname thought she saw Sakura wink at her. She guessed it was her imagination.

"Naruto told me you guys had returned from the mission, so I knew it wouldn't be long until I saw you. So how did it go? Kaname signaled for them to head to Sakura's room so they wouldn't disturb her parents. After they settled in, Kaname filled her in on the details of the mission, but left out the part about her Illusion Eye. She was sure it would freak Sakura out and she didn't want that at the moment. When Kaname awoke the next morning, she heard Sakura call her downstairs. Kaname wondered what the heck could be so important to wake her up at this time of day? Sakura was holding a letter. It was from Kakashi.

"Is that letter for us Sakura?" Sakura nodded her head and turned to look at her friend with a cheery grin on her face. Her smile was contagious and Kaname smiled at her radiantly. Sakura handed her friend the letter for her to read. It said that the Chunin Exams were starting soon and a lot of teams from all over would be attending. Kaname leaped with joy. She wanted to prove she could become a Chunin and rise through the ranks of a ninja. Everything seemed all and well at the Hidden Leaf Village. Elsewhere in the Sound, Orochimaru was planning a little bit of mischief and another village was there to back him up. He was in his usual quarters with his allies and the Sand Village. Orochimaru had called the Sand Village to come to arms with him and they had accepted his proposal. He had summoned everyone here to stage an attack against the Leaf by sending in Baki's squad to the Chunin Exams to collect info and attack along with Kabuto. Doichi and Katsuya would move with Orochimaru himself and attempt to take Sasuke. He was sure his plan would work. If it did, the Leaf Village would be in a world of trouble, and there would be no escape.

Back at the Hidden Leaf Village, the participants of the Chunin Exams were taken into a large room. It took Ibiki's yelling to settle everyone down. A few seconds later, Iruka entered with Anko right at his heels and they both went to the front of the room. Iruka pulled out a large yellow slip of paper from his shuriken pouch and read off each of the teams that were competing.

"From the Hidden Leaf Village: Kurenai's squad, Kakashi's squad, Asuma's squad and Guy's squad."

The other teams were called until a surprising team was found on the sheet. Iruka whispered to Ibiki and Anko that something was wrong.

"There is another team on this sheet. It says they hail from the Mountain Village." This piqued Kaname's interest and she looked all around for any familiar faces, but she found none. Iruka decided that it couldn't be a mistake and called out the final team.

"From the Mountain Village, Senju Rokkaku, Kodan Akaza and Nagisu Ishomi."

As if on cue, three ninja suddenly appeared in the far corner of the room from out of nowhere. Their faces were covered with red scarves and they looked around cautiously. Kaname nearly jumped out of her skin. She couldn't believe that her teammates could have lived through what had happened. She remembered the Nagisu girl from school. Kodan had held a crush for her for a long time. She ran over to greet her friends. Sakura smiled. She was happy that she had finally found someone she knew. For some reason though, it made Sakura sad.

"Senju, Kodan, is it really you?" She reached out to touch Senju, but he batted her hand away. His eyes were a hazel color and misty. He wore a robe that revealed nothing of his body. His facial features were creased and made him look much older than a twelve year old. His allies sported his same attire. He spoke to her in a low voice.

"We are not here to be your friend Kaname. I am sick of seeing you. We all are. That is why we left. I'll issue this warning only once. Leave us be, or we will kill you." Kaname was struck with every saddening emotion all at once. She wanted to see Senju again so bad. She would have done anything. Team Seven rushed over to the mysterious group of people as Kaname trembled with tears.

"How can you treat her like this? She wanted to see you for so long and you give her these words? I am going to cream you whenever I get the chance believe it." Senju shrugged the blonde boy off with a simple wave of his hand. Kodan gave him a much more hands on approach and slapped him right across the face. A fight would have ensued if not for Ibiki stepping in. After hours of test taking, the teams were ready to move to stage two, the Forest of Death. If you were scared easily, the Forest of Death wasn't the funnest place to be in. It was called the Forest of Death for a reason and those that had taken the test before knew why. All of the teams had gathered outside the gates of this earthly hell where Anko explained that the rules would be different this time around.

"Listen up maggots and listen up good. I don't have all day to play with you kiddies, so we're getting straight to the point! You won't have to worry about running around on a scavenger hunt for earth and heaven scrolls. Instead, you'll be on a scavenger hunt for each other." This was the spark that caught the fire. Every team eyed the others with malice. They knew this was going to be a physical competition, but they were ready for it.

"All of you will be trying to capture another team. All you have to do is beat the shit out of them and bring them to the tower. It doesn't matter if they are alive or not, as long as you have the entire team." She said this last part slow to put emphasis on it. She had nothing more to say and the gates were opened to let everyone battle it out. Kaname would make sure her team got far. She wasn't going to lose this early in the game. As the days passed, the course of fighting became more and more intense for Team Seven and they finally met their match when they encountered the last person they wanted to see, Orochimaru himself.

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**That chapter didn't come out as well as I wanted it to, but I did get the chance to show off Kaname's impressive ability. I think my favorite part was the Mountain Team's entrance. I really like Senju's look and personality. If any of you are wondering where things will go from here, stay tuned for the next exciting chapter. Please review and as usual, The Black Pope has spoken!**


	4. The Reaping Sickness: Sasuke vs Senju

**Here comes chapter four everybody. I would like to thank Rakuen Tachibana for her amazing review of my story. Just like I said in my profile, she is a very proficient writer and should be favorited by every single person here. If I here any of you say she sucks, I'll do you like I did Kishimoto in the last chapter. This chapter will probably deal with Orochimaru's plan of sabotaging the Chunin Exams. Without further ado, here comes greatness and I thank Rakuen once again.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but if I did, it would be exactly like this. (Pulls a kunai from my pouch and stabs Kishimoto.)**

The area of the forest that team seven had found themselves in was dark and foggy. An enemy could easily ambush them. Sasuke had noticed this before the others and stated his worry. It went unheard however as a giant snake slithered its way out of the fog. Even with the fog blocking out their view, he was still in plain sight. He was a huge purple snake with black lines across his skinny and lengthy frame. They had saw Orochimaru on top of its head and fear welled up inside of Sakura again.

"Do not be afraid of him my dear friend. Show me that you are strong." Kaname's words gave Sakura the reassurance she needed and she pulled out a kunai, ready to battle her opponent to the death.

"I hope you don't think I came alone. That would be so foolish of me." The team froze in their tracks. They could hear footsteps coming from the east and west. As the fog died down, Doichi and Katsuya appeared. This was not going to be a cakewalk. Kaname let her rage build and Doichi was on her hit list. Her attack wasn't very hard for him to block and he easily swiped it away with a fast movement of his crescent blade. Kaname blocked with her kunai and the two were in a power struggle. During this time, the snake was trying to make lunch out of Naruto, but he wasn't having it. When he had gotten eaten, he had managed to lift its mouth open and put a kunai inside of his chest. The snake roared in pain. After this was successfully done, Naruto grabbed the kunai and slid down, splitting the snake vertically. This pissed Orochimaru off and he wasn't having it. He gave Naruto and yummy knuckle sandwich to his left eye and an uppercut that sent him flying to the nearest branch and breaking it. Sasuke moved to help his ally, but Katsuya wasn't having that.

"So this is the one you want Orochimaru?" Orochimaru only nodded his head.

"You'll never take me alive." Sasuke attacked Katsuya with a fury high kick that made his opponent stagger. Two more punches to Katsuya's ribs and he could already feel his breath leaving him. He struggled to stay upright, but it was hard, as he had to defend against Sasuke's hellish attacks. He breathed a sigh of relief as Doichi came to his aid. Sasuke could feel his own blood trickle down his back as the blade made contact with the flesh. He cried out and stumbled in Sakura's arms. She held him close and she couldn't believe this could have happened to her Sasuke. She had no more time to dwell on this however as a hard punch from Katsuya met with her face to say a jolly hello. The force of the punch would have made her connect to a tree back first, but she felt strong hands grab her from behind before she made contact with it. After she could see entirely again, she looked back to see Kaname's strong hands around her torso.

"You alright?" Sakura had forgotten all about her injuries after she looked at Kaname's blood stained body. Kaname had released her grip on the pink haired kunoichi after she saw Katsuya coming towards them. Naruto had moved in front of them to protect and defend. Katsuya wielded his two katanas now and hacked and slashed. Naruto was the faster of the two warriors and surrounded his opposition with shadow clones. The Uzumaki Barrage was too much for Katsuya to handle and he crashed to the ground unmoving. It looked as if things had gotten better, but they had gotten worse. Everyone was shocked to find Orochimaru had biten Sasuke and put a weird black mark on him. Kaname rushed to help him when she found she could not move. She could see Naruto point to Doichi and his lips moved, but she could hear nothing.

"I think it's time we did something about that Illusion Eye of hers Orochimaru. Don't worry, I've got just the trick." Naruto ran over to the group but bounced back after he ran into a barrier. Sakura was dumbfounded. She wanted to cry. Kaname had saved her, but she could do nothing for the pale girl at the moment. She promised to herself that she would save Kaname someday. She put that on her life. The barrier had filled up with a type of smoke and it was very hard to see. The team had become really worried after hearing Kaname's bloodcurdling scream and then the smoke vanished and Kaname wasn't moving.

"I've sealed up her Illusion Eye for the most part Lord Orochimaru. I would take it that our work here is done?" Orochimaru gazed at the trio menacingly.

"Sasuke will come to me sooner or later. It's just a matter of time. I wish you luck in the next stage of the exams children. Another cackle and their foes vanished. Kaname still had not moved. Luckily for team seven, they had already captured a team and took them to the tower as told. They had also received word that the Mountain team had captured Neji's team. Even after they reached the tower, Kaname's body had only turned cold. Sakura had hoped she wasn't dead and she took the powerless girl to Tsunade.

"Sakura, what happened to her?" Tsunade's voice held worry and she tried her best to stop it from shaking.

"I don't know. She was trapped in a barrier by Doichi and we heard her scream and nothing more. Doichi said he had sealed off her Illusion Eye or something. What is that? Tsunade had no choice but to tell her, but someone else stopped by to do it instead.

"The Illusion Eye is a rare ability of the Kurushima bloodline. It traps the opponent inside of their own little world. I would compare it to hell. They suffer their worse fear for eternity. There is no escape for them. I find it quite amusing."

"Senju, what are you doing in here?" Sakura was ready to knock his block off, but changed after hearing what he said.

"I have to stay undercover. Orochimaru believes I'm with him. I couldn't tell anyone because I knew he would be here. When we meet again, I will fight with all I have. If you don't do the same, I may be forced to kill you. I have to make this look as if I completely hate you all." His next words were directed to Tsunade as he handed her a vial of a small green liquid.

"Give this to her. It'll wake her up. Give her my regards when she comes to." Tsunade put the stuff inside the girl's mouth and her eyes slowly opened. Sakura was so happy she could have kissed her right then, but she was pretty sure Tsunade would have knocked her ass out.

"You are going to stay here Kaname. I can see you are in no condition to fight." Kaname was a stubborn girl and she sat bolt upright when she heard that.

"I'm not giving up because of some stupid injury. Even if I can't use my Illusion Eye to its best, I can still win against any asshole that tries to fuck with me! Before Sakura or Tsunade could say or do anything, the pale girl bolted out of the door in the direction of the arena. Tsunade rubbed her forehead and took a long gulp of her bottle of sake.

"Sakura, please keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't do something stupid." Sakura bowed and raced off after Kaname. The arena was packed. It was a large arena and definitely built to kill this time. Huge spikes were crafted all along the walls and ceiling. Various buttons were put into the ground as a way to spring traps. This would test every ninja's abilities to survive. Kodan marveled at this.

"This should be fun, eh Senju?" Senju gave his blonde friend a disgusting look.

"We aren't here to kill anyone Kodan. We're hear to secretly protect the village, remember?"

"I wasn't saying I wanted to kill anyone. It'll just make it funner because we have traps we will have to avoid now."

"What shall we do about the Sand Ninja?" Nagisu spoke for the very first time. Her voice hinted fear.

"We'll let them make their moves. We already know that Kabuto is here. These traps will surely stop him from utilizing his speed if he fights."

"He ain't. I heard he surrendered. I guess he wasn't ready to put his life on the line just yet."

"Don't be so sure Kodan. He was probably just here to gather information."

"I guess you might be right Nagisu." Tsunade clapped to get everyone's attention. She signaled to Shizune to tell everyone what the first match would be. Sasuke Uchiha versus Senju Rokkaku. This was surely going to be an impressive match.

"This Senju guy is gonna regret ever meeting me." Sasuke cut a back flip off the balcony and landed into the arena gracefully.

"Show off." Naruto always got pissed when Sasuke tried to look better than him. Senju wasn't for the show off approach and took the stairs instead.

"Hey Senju. Don't go running to your mother after I finish kicking your ass." Sasuke smiled nonchalantly at his opponent. He really believed that Senju had nothing on him.

"An Uchiha. If you bore me, I will kill you. Senju removed his robe and showed off his impressive physique. He wasn't very big, but his muscles were very firm. Kaname had not remembered him like this and guessed he must work out a lot more. He had his upper body wrapped in bandages as if her was trying to hide something. His left pant leg was shorter than the right. His left leg held the design of orange flames and the other held blue. Hayate sputtered out a begin and the battle was on. Sasuke was the first to go on offense as he threw a kunai at the head of Senju. Senju vanished from the blow and came from above Sasuke with a heel drop. Sasuke jumped back as Senju's foot landed and broke a piece of the ground. Senju immediately jumped to his feet and attacked Sasuke with an immediate triple kick combo. Sasuke wasn't going down easily however and blocked these attacks with ease. Sasuke tightened his right hand into a fist and sent it crashing into Senju's right rib. Senju had felt it crunch and he thought it might have been broken. He spit blood and limped backwards, praying that he could get some kind of separation from the Sharingan wielder. Sasuke wasn't having it. He knew Senju was on defense and wanted it to stay that way. He kicked Senju across the side of his face and Senju hit the ground hard. Sasuke attempted to kick him while he was down, but he vanished again. Sasuke looked all around, but could find no sign of him. That's when Sasuke saw a form fling a kunai from out of the wall straight at him. Sasuke dodged the kunai, but didn't expect it to hone in on his position and he was stabbed in the knee. Blood squirted from his wound and he took the weapon out with a loud yell. Senju walked out of the wall and back to the theatre of war.

"What the hell did you just do?" Sasuke had to know what the hell just happened.

"Are you playing stupid or do you not realize what the fuck just happened? It seems you really don't know. I call that my Walking Spirit jutsu. It allows me to fuse my chakra with anything, animate or inanimate. That time I fused it with the walls. That gusher to your knee isn't going to help matters. Just give up Sasuke. I don't want to be forced to kill you." Senju looked emotionless as he usually did. No signs of pain or amusement had shown through his visage. Sasuke's face contorted into more pain. He could handle it, at least for now.

"You forget who you are talking to. I'm Sasuke Uchiha dammit. I'm not going to lose to some noob ass."

"Suit yourself. I guess this only means there will be one less Uchiha in the world." The battle was on again as the two circled around each other. Senju attacked first this time and went for Sasuke's wounded knee. Sasuke switched his stance so that leg was the farthest from Senju. This also made Senju miss. Sasuke connected with a kick under Senju's jaw to send him spiraling in the air. Sasuke jumped with him and creamed him across his face. As Senju approached the ground, Sasuke stepped on his throat and flipped back. Senju had landed hard and his imprint was left in the floor. Everyone had thought the fight was over, but Senju had gotten up. Even Sasuke was flabbergasted.

"I seemed to have underestimated you Uchiha, but no longer. I have never had to use this technique until now. If you die by this, I am sorry. I never intended on killing you. He removed his bandages and souls were trying to break out of his body. His skin moved as if it was crawling all over him.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Senju's voice had become a lot colder than Kaname was used to. Something had definitely happened to him from the last time that Kaname had seen him.

"If you are wondering, this is what is called the Reaping Sickness. I was born with the power to absorb souls after I was taken to the Darkness Realm. It is a power I never wished to have. It gave me the souls of all those that I have killed at lets me use their powers as I wish. They cannot be released from my body. They are my life force because my soul is gone. However, I will have to release their energy upon you if I wish to win. I am sorry. You are such a young Uchiha and you have such a long life ahead of you.

"We're not supposed to be… Kodan quickly put his hand over Nagisu's mouth.

"We can't tell them no matter what. Orochimaru will find out and we'll be screwed. Just shut up Nagisu.

Sasuke readied himself as these souls were released on his very being. They entered his body. All anyone had seen after that was blood shooting from every single vessel inside of Sasuke's body. He hit the floor with a soft thud and didn't move after that. It was a very chaotic and brutal attack and even Senju looked hurt.

"I hope you live through that. I would like to fight you again one day. It took a while before anyone could say anything. Senju wrapped his bandages around himself and went to regroup with his team. Kodan let out his worries to his team leader.

"Did you really have to go that far man?"

"I couldn't afford to lose. I must meet with Kaname. I have something I must talk to her about. It involves her and Sakura."

"The pink haired chick. What about exactly?" Senju gave his friend a curious look. Kodan wanted to know what he was getting at.

"I believe those two will fall in love."

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**There we go with my fourth chapter. I loved this chapter. Senju had a pretty cool technique. That was a very close battle. I don't know what I'm going to do with chapter five. I'm not going to show off Kodan until six probably. Anyway, please leave a review. I'm begging you and I don't beg often. The Black Pope has spoken!**


	5. Conclusion of the Chunin Exams

**Well, here comes chapter five. These next couple of chapters will deal with battles during the Chunin Exams. I might try and find a way to make all the battles happen without really happening because I sure as hell don't want to write them all, only the ones with meaning. Yeah, that's what I'll do. Please read and review.**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but if I did, it would be exactly like this. (Attacks Kishimoto with a hellish Chidori.)

The other fights had gone on as planned. Shikimaru defeated Kankuro, Kiba defeated Choji and Naruto defeated Temari and Sakura defeated Ino. Hinata was scheduled to fight Kodan, Shino would fight Nagisu and Kaname would fight Gaara.

Kiba was making a big scene about how he had defeated Choji until Shino told him to shut up so he could get some piece and quiet. Hinata had looked scared. She had no idea of Kodan's abilities, but Naruto gave her strength. She would do her best to beat him and make Neji and her father proud. Shino and Nagisu made their way to the arena. Much blood had been spilled and there was more to follow. Unlike Senju, Nagisu did not remove her robe.

"I don't know who you are or why you came here, but this is the end." Shino spoke in his usual mystery monotone and he pushed his glasses up on his head. His insect security swarmed about him, ready to take on any intruder who stepped in his territory. Nagisu's soft eyes watched Shino for any signs of danger.

"I am here for my own reasons. Don't bother questioning me. They are not of your concern." Nagisu used her mind's powers to extract the spikes from the wall and hurl them at Shino. Shino was lightning fast as he dodged them all.

("She has the powers of telekinesis. She going to be a tough one.") Shino moved yet again as another spike was thrown at him. While he was jumping left and right, he accidentally stepped on one of the buttons planted in the ground. He stopped to recognize if anything was different. He had noticed in was… when he saw a spike shoot through the ground right up through his leg. There was so much blood that most of the genin looked away and Sakura cringed. Shino had to lift his leg just to get the spike out. Thankfully and miraculously, none of the skin came with it. He was a pitiful sight. Shino decided enough was enough and launched his hornets at Nagisu. Nagisu pulled her kunai and slashed at the hornets with everything she had. They were all over the place. Left and right and up and down. She couldn't even see Shino because there were so many of them. After the bug onslaught was done, she regained her bearings. Shino was long gone by this time as she had trouble finding his position until she heard a voice above her.

"Yo Nagisu. Were you looking for someone?" Shino was hanging on the ceiling right above her. She went from mad to pissed and launched another spike at him. He jumped back to the ground and watched the spike get stuck in the ceiling. He retaliated by flicking a pebble at Nagisu. She blinked and he was gone again.

"Stop playing these games with me Shino. Come out and fight me like a man." She focused as hard as she could, but Shino would not show himself. She was beginning to become unnerved and tired. She wasn't used to searching for her opponents. No one had known where he had gone until his bugs broke through the ground under her and picked her up in a type of bug tornado. She spinned and twirled and was dropped back to the ground with an amazing show of ferocity and force. The entire arena shook and her bones crunched and ached. Anyone who had saw what had just happened knew the fight was over. Directly after, Shino's body could hold out no longer and he collapsed beside his former adversary. The loss of blood he had withstood was great. Kodan commented with grief to his Chunin leader.

"Did he really have to drop poor Nagisu on her spine like that?"

"Kodan, this is a battlefield. Did you expect anything less?" Kodan smiled as he heard his name called.

"Talk to you later Senju. I've got a girl to drop." Hinata fiddled with her fingers nervously. She was snapped out of her daze by Kiba's hand on her back.

"Don't worry about a thing Hinata. You can beat this guy. I know you can." Hinata grinned. Kiba always found a way to make her worries dissipate. She went to the arena with her byakugan already activated.

"Looks like you're pretty feisty." Kodan wiped his nose of exasperation. He cracked his knuckles and let his red chakra surge.

"I'm not going to run away. That's my Nindo and I won't give up on it." Hinata spoke with more self-esteem and reassurance than she ever had. Naruto was watching, and she didn't want to let him down.

"I get the great chance to test my skills against a Hyuga again. I already creamed your brother. Looks like you'll be next."

Hinata hadn't expected him to be this strong. To defeat Neji, you didn't have to be good. You had to be great. Kodan didn't give her long to dwell on his strength because he pulled a huge hammer from seemingly nowhere and crashed it down upon her position. Hinata blocked it with both palms. Kodan swiftly retreated back, arms down and ready to attack. Hinata knew he was strong, but she was stronger. She had to be if she wanted to impress Naruto. She stepped in quickly and caught Kodan off guard. A barrage of palms planted themselves across his chest and face. The final one knocked him off his feet into a large can. He slid down its length and vanished. Hinata knew that she would not be able to block his next attack. Kodan appeared at her right. She could only prepare herself for the sure pain she would feel. Kodan brought his knee up and smashed it into Hinata's stomach. It followed with an uppercut that sent Hinata into a spin and making her land on her face. She got up however and blocked more of his club's attacks. She had noticed he attacked in a pattern. He would always attack high, then to the midsection and finish with an attack that aimed at her legs. He was a very predictable opponent. After she blocked his three hit combo, she saw her chance. A brutalizing and crushing palm was sent straight into his face. Blood trickled down his face, but Hinata wasn't done yet. A swift spin kick encountered his gut and he spit. He wobbled uncontrollably and his legs felt like spaghetti. He looked up in spite. His face had contorted into rage and his chakra surge had become even greater. Even Senju had become surprised. Of course, he knew Kodan was holding back against the young Hyuga heiress. She had made a fatal mistake in pissing Kodan off and she was about to feel his rage.

"I am Kodan Akaza. I will not lose to you! Prepare for my fury and rage. I'm going to make you sleep with the fishes." In a quick flash step, Hinata found him right in her face. Heavy hooks and crosses made contact with the flesh of her face. Bruises and swelling formed quickly and she couldn't even see straight. He backed off, only for a second and his arm radiated with a dripping green liquid.

"This stuff can melt your bones or even liquid steel. As he ran in to finish off his opponent, he had remembered his objective. He could not kill the girl, so he decided he would feign defeat. He charged the girl and suddenly stopped. His started to wobble again and said his last words.

"You are pretty strong Hinata. I'll give you that. If you don't mind, I'll be taking a nap now." He collapsed. Senju had known what he had done. He was good at reading others. He was surprised to see Kaname standing behind him.

"Senju, I could hear you saying you needed to talk to me?" Her voice was curious and somewhat scared.

"Indeed I do. You and me, maybe after the tournament. I want it to be private. Now go on, I don't want Orochimaru to see us together. Besides, your fight with Gaara is next. The red haired Gaara wasn't one who liked to be kept waiting and he stated this by pointing a menacing finger at Kaname.

"Hurry up and get your ass down here. I want to kill you quickly. I've got things to do." Kaname snickered at his remark. She found it kinda cute. Before she made her way to the arena, she found a girl's hand on her shoulder.

"Please be careful when you fight him Kaname. He's different from all the other genin." Kaname turned around and determined green mingled with concerned green. Kaname formed a weak smile for her friend and touched Sakura's face. She felt a tear fall on her finger and she wiped the others from Sakura's beautiful face.

"I won't die Sakura. We still have so much to tell each other. Don't worry. I don't like to see you cry. She hugged Sakura and she broke down. She was so worried for her friend. Sakura cried and cried into her shoulder. Kaname stroked her pink hair lovingly and whispered in her ear.

"I won't make you suffer life without me. You're my friend. I don't break promises to my friends. Sakura finally let her go and smiled. She felt reassurance in Kaname and she knew her friend would do just right. A few feet away, Sasuke and Naruto were chatting.

"Naruto, don't you think there is something odd about those two?" Naruto looked at Sasuke like he was on crack.

"Why the hell would you think that Sasuke? I don't see anything odd about them. They aren't deformed or anything." At this point, Sasuke wanted to slap the shit out of Naruto. He couldn't believe someone could be that damn dumb. Sasuke was going to get to the bottom of this. Right now, he wanted to see how well Kaname stacked up to the crazy Gaara of the Sand. Kaname entered the arena with her usual cocky self. Gaara had a face that could scare a blind child. It made Kaname laugh. Gaara wasn't one to fuck around with and he was about to show Kaname that the hard way.

"Do you find death that amusing?" Kaname stopped laughing and put on a serious face.

"I am Kaname Kurushima. I highly doubt some kid who uses sand, as a defense will prove a match with me. Where'd you get all that sand anyway? Was it from your sandbox bitch?" Gaara didn't say anything. Instead, he released the sand from his gourd and took a swipe at Kaname. Kaname ducked but her legs had become trapped by more sand that had creeped behind her. She struggled to break free, but it was no use. It held her with a death grip and Gaara cackled.

"Maybe now you understand what you have gotten yourself into. The sand fist connected with Kaname's entire body and sent her whirling back into the wall. She narrowly missed one of the spikes that were attached to it and thanked the gods. She got up and decided it would be best to play it smart. She had heard that his defenses were impenetrable. She usually didn't believe things she heard. It seemed they were right on this one. His sand seemed to act on its own and moved all about him. Kaname had to find some way to beat him. Her Illusion Eye was out of the question. After what Doichi had did to her in the forest, there was no way she was going to use it without knowing exactly what he did to her. She raced in and attacked with all she had. Just as she thought, Gaara's sand rose to protect him. No matter what she did, his defenses would not fall. She backed off to regain her energy. Gaara hadn't taken a step through the entire fight, so his energy was definitely up.

"I hate fools like you Kaname. I hate fools who underestimate me. You should have ran when you had the chance. It would have saved this village the trouble of having a funeral for you." Kaname could feel the trickle of blood forming at the corners of her mouth. Her body felt like one big headache. However, she wasn't giving up. She made that promise to Sakura.

"I am not going to give up. I promised Sakura that I wouldn't. Besides, I can play games too. She formed a few hand signs and a blue transparent javelin floated in front of her. Gaara gave it a funny look and shrugged his shoulders. He knew it couldn't destroy his defenses.

"This here is what I call my Water Javelin jutsu. You know what happens when water meets sand right?" Gaara hadn't seen this coming. She sent the spear off toward Gaara. It connected and though it didn't hit Gaara physically, it surely did hit him mentally plus his defenses had shattered. Kaname moved in quickly before Gaara could do anything else. He was utterly defenseless as Kaname's fist connected to his jaw. He howled like a coyote and rolled across the floor. He hit the wall and broke through it. It crumbled and everyone could see he was finished. At the same time, Kaname had passed out and fell. The fight had ended in a draw.

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**That's that people. I knew exactly how I wanted this chapter planned. A little SakuKana bonding happened to. If you ask me, Sasuke seemed a little jealous eh? Anyhow, Chapter six should be pretty exciting. I ain't trying to ruin anything, but Orochimaru will be back. I ain't saying nothing else about it. You'll just have to wait until tomorrow. The Black Pope has spoken and don't forget to review. If you do, Kaname will have your head.**


	6. Sakura's Promise

**I can't believe I'm on chapter six already. I've gotten most of this chapter done in my head, so it was a cakewalk to write. This will mainly deal with Orochimaru's attack on the village and maybe get into another filler. Without further ado, I bring you chapter six. By the way, you don't know how hard it is to write a good story using Microsoft office 1997. It doesn't even have a damn thesaurus.**

Kaname awoke to the sound of panicked voices. She had also realized she wasn't in the arena any longer, but in a hospital bed instead. She had no idea why she was in here then it hit her. She remembered her fight with Gaara of the Sand. She wondered where he was. She heard the door open and it smacked her out of her thoughts. She hated when she was snapped out of her thoughts and scowled at her visitor. Her frown was quickly replaced by a smile and she saw pink hair walk towards her.

"I appreciate your concern Sakura, but don't you think you should be training with everyone else?" Sakura's eyes lit up with happiness. She had heard bad news about Kaname's condition, but found that it wasn't as bad as she had heard.

"I'm so glad you're alright. I had came to visit you before, but you were unconscious." Kaname had liked the way the sun shown brightly on Sakura's visage. It made her look like an angel. A sudden change of mood occurred after Orochimaru and Doichi appeared from a dark corner of the room. Chaos could be heard outside and both kunoichi wondered how something could go from complete quiet to utter chaos in a few seconds. Kakashi and Guy fought their way through a crowd of ninja in the hall to Kaname's room. The two jonin had made it just as Orochimaru had a tight grip on Kaname's long black hair.

"I don't think you should worry yourself about the girl Kakashi. She's perfectly fine with us." Kakashi looked back at Kaname, then at Orochimaru, then back again.

"Don't worry about me. This creep won't kill me for some reason. Go on and protect everyone else Kakashi-sensei. Sakura and I can handle things here." Kaname's voice was strong. Kakashi gave her a sad look, but left with Guy right on his heels. Kaname looked for some kind of way to free herself, but she could not find any. Thankfully, Orochimaru let her go and she ran back beside Sakura. She could still feel the ache in her body whenever she moved.

"You must be wondering what I did to you back there at the forest Kaname. I didn't seal your jutsu. I only made it so that whenever you use it, the pain you endure will be great. You two should head out to find the sand ninja unless you want them to get away." The two evil ninja said no more as they vanished from view. Sakura could tell Kaname was in a great deal of pain and wanted to do her best to help, but Kaname pushed her away gently.

"Don't worry about me Sakura. You should go and find the rest of our team. They can help you find those worthless Sand ninja." Sakura's body moved to help Kaname, but her mind told her otherwise. She got up and took another look at Kaname before leaving. The village looked like a tornado came through it. Buildings were on fire and dead people lie across the streets. Stink polluted the air and it was hard to breathe without wanting to puke. She had never seen carnage like this before. She hopped from roof to roof scanning the ground for survivors. After a few more bounds, she found herself at the village gates. She knew it would be stupid to go alone, but the Sand ninja could not escape. They were part of the reason that Kaname was in the condition she was in now.

Sakura eventually found herself in a woody area surrounded by lush green plant life. She had seen no one, but an icy voice froze her in her tracks.

"You're the one that Kaname was with. Why have you come here?" Sakura turned around slowly, fearful of even looking Gaara in the eye. She had saw how much hate he held for Kaname. She guessed he held the same hate for her and anybody else for that matter. Sakura spoke slowly and softly, almost in a whisper.

"I won't let you scare me." Gaara was quite amused by this, but his face didn't show it. He was already releasing the sand in his gourd. Sakura looked around in fear. She already knew it. She was going to die. She saw her life flash before her. She saw the village at her funeral. She saw Kaname crying and asking her why she left her. The sand circled around her ever so menacingly.

"I'm sorry Kaname, for letting you down." The sand had aready trapped her legs. Sakura closed her eyes. She didn't feel like fighting with death. She just let darkness take her… until she heard the voice of a woman.

"Get the hell away from Sakura, you brat!" Sakura felt the sand quickly move away from her to defend Gaara. When Sakura had opened her eyes, Naruto was standing beside her with Shino on her other side. Kaname was in a tree a few feet in front of her.

"Naruto, Shino, you two try and fight his stupid friends. I want you to go back to the village Sakura. I don't want you getting hurt." Naruto and Shino moved out, but before Sakura could do anything else, she had found that she was completely wrapped in sand. Gaara laughed at the sudden look of fear that set on Kaname's countenance.

"It seems you haven't had enough yet Kaname. I must say you amuse me. Coming all this way to save this girl. She must really mean a lot to you." Sakura whimpered as the sand tightened around her body. She felt as if all of her bones were about to crack. She could see Kaname out of the corner of her eye. She was shaking with anger. Sakura had never seen her so angry.

"Let her go Gaara or I'll kill you." Gaara obviously didn't think that was possible because he only tightened his grip on the poor pain stricken pink haired girl.

"What does she mean to you? What would make you risk your life to save her?" Kaname didn't expect Gaara to ask her this question, but she answered truthfully.

"She is one of the few people that completely understand me. We talk, we laugh and we do everything together. She is a strong and beautiful girl. I won't let her life be ended by you because she is my friend." This seemed to strike Gaara as odd because he cocked his head to the side as if he didn't understand what she was saying. His eyebrows furrowed and he put on a look of hard thinking. After a few moments, he laughed again and pointed directly at Kaname.

"A friend huh? I don't have any friends." Gaara decided not to let Sakura out of his sand cocoon and focused his attention on Kaname.

"I'm going to finish what I started at the Chunin Exams Kaname. There's no way you're living through today." Kaname didn't argue with him. As a matter of fact, she was thinking the same thing. She had never seen Sakura hurt like this before and her rage definitely showed.

"That was my line Gaara." She rushed towards her red headed foe. She was eager to spill his blood. However, his sand thought differently as it blocked her kunai's attack and slammed into her face. She felt dazed and off balance, but didn't let that stop her. She came upon him once more, attacking with more fury than last time. It didn't help much. All of those attacks were thwarted and she was popped in the side, twice in the stomach and to the forehead. She knew she couldn't attack with her Water Javelin again because he already knew that trick. She looked all around her for some kind of sign. An idea then popped in her head. She knew he had a limited amount of sand. If she could move around him while attacking, there may be spots that the sand couldn't reach. She decided to give it a try. There wasn't much else she could do. Gaara must have known she was planning something because he didn't give her the time to go back on offense.

His sand had shaped itself into a type of sand blade and hurled itself at the girl. Kaname bounded away like a feline. She really didn't want Sakura to see her in pieces. She jumped again as it cut down a tree. Gaara himself had to move unless he had wanted to be squashed. Kaname saw this as her opening. She quickly grabbed three shuriken from her pouch and threw them at Gaara. His sand couldn't move to protect him and they lodged their away into his side. He yelped and took them out savagely. He had also lost some of his concentration and Sakura was released from her sand prison. She was unconscious though. Kaname was happy she had made some type of progress. She didn't have long to be happy as an attack from behind her knocked her down from the branch she was standing on. While she was plummeting to the ground, her skull made contact with a rock that was jutting out of the ground only adding to her pain. She looked to get up, but found a heavy wait on top of her. After she regained her vision, she found Gaara's foot on top of her chest.

"You're no match for me Kaname. If you beg for your life, I might spare you even though the odds of that are slim."

"I'll never beg to you or anyone else. I'm a ninja dammit and I will die with my pride intact." Gaara had expected the girl to be stubborn, but not this stubborn. He benefited either way though. If she begged for her life, he would make her lose her pride. If she didn't, which was the decision she had chosen, then he could just kill her. He dug his foot harder into her chest, emitting a scream from her. He didn't kill her because he was interrupted by another voice.

"I may have been down, but I'm definitely not out." Kaname couldn't see who it was, but she knew it had to be Sakura. She didn't want the girl biting off more than she could chew, so she decided to say something.

"Don't be dumb Sakura. He's way too strong for you. Run away and save yourself. I am not worth your life." Sakura couldn't believe the words that were just spoken to her. Kaname's life had more meaning to her than anything else did in the world. She thought of the promise she had made to herself in the Forest of Death during the battle against Orochimaru. She knew now that this would be the time to fulfill her promise.

"How can you say that Kaname? Your life means more to me than the world itself. You've done so much for me in such a short time." Sakura smiled despite the situation. She truly wanted Kaname to know how she felt.

"I made a promise back in the Forest of Death. I promised that I would save you from the clutches of death one day. Today is that day Kaname. I won't let Gaara get away with this." Sakura's voice found a new flame to burn and to burn it bright. She stood strong and brave. She was ready to fight the blood haired youngster. She would gladly give her life if it would save Kaname.

"Sakura, do you really mean that?"

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it." Gaara was getting sick of this sentimental rubbish and he turned partly to Sakura.

"Nice speech. But do you honestly think you can beat me? You really are dumber than you look." He took his foot off of Kaname and turned to Sakura completely. Sakura swallowed. She really had no idea what she had gotten herself into until it was too late. She thought of her promise again and her fear vanished as fast as it had come. Gaara's sand traveled into her gut sending her spit flying in all directions and her spirit into an old oak tree. Sakura hit the tree with a thunderous boom, shaking it and some of the animals inside of it. Gaara made his way over to her slowly, but when he got there, he had stopped and a look of pain had shown on his face. Sakura could hear Kaname's voice demeaning Gaara.

"You shouldn't be so full of yourself and bullshit us Gaara. I could have killed you, but I decided that putting my Water Javelin into your back was punishment enough. I'll give you until the count of three and you had better be gone by two."

"One."

"You won't get away with this."

"Two."

Gaara had vanished before another word could be said. Sakura sat up against the tree while making eye contact with the Illusion Eye wielder a few feet in front of her.

"Are you alright Kitten?" Kaname had asked softly. Sakura didn't know where the pet name had come from, but she liked it.

"You shouldn't worry about me Kaname. You're in a lot worse condition than I am."

"I guess you're right." The last thing Kaname saw was a surprised look on Sakura's face, then pitch black darkness.

She had awoken in Sakura's bed later that night and found three familiar faces staring at her.

"How are you feeling Kaname?" Even before she opened her eyes, she could tell this voice belonged to Naruto. He had a stupid grin on his face and he was giving her a thumbs up. He looked just like Lee. Kaname had sat upright when a stinging sensation in her head made her lie back down.

"I would really like an aspirin right about now." Everyone laughed, except for Sasuke who had looked rather annoyed. She was happy that she was finally home again. However, she had no idea what tomorrow would bring. She also did not recognize the two faces peering at them from outside.

"Are you absolutely sure about this Senju?" Kodan spoke questioningly.

"There is no need to worry. We can leave this message at the Hokage's door. I still haven't spoken to Kaname about that particular matter. You were there right along with me when she fought Gaara. You saw the closeness of those two girls. Kodan smiled shyly at his friend.

"How can you talk about this so easily?"

"Why should I not be able to?" Senju questioned his friend.

"Who do you know that can talk about a perhaps lesbian relationship so openly?" Senju only shrugged.

"We don't have time to bicker about this. We're wasting time. He dropped off the letter and vanished. He was sure Tsunade would find it. If she didn't, that would definitely suck for him.

"Until next time Kaname. Until next time."

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**That's the end of this chapter. The nickname that Kaname gave to Sakura came from a fic I read the other night by Flower Cynic. It was a SakuIno fic and it was really good. You guys should check it out. Anyway, please leave me a review. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. I will answer them as best as possible. The next chapter will talk about Sakura and Kaname's developing relationship.**


	7. The talk with Senju

**Another day gone and another day comes. Once again, I'm here to provide you with more. I really don't have much to say today, but my updates are probably gonna be a little slower since I have work on Monday and Tuesday. I also want to thank everyone who left me a review. Here are any questions that you want answered.**

**Mannyscarface: Sorry about that the first time. Leave as many reviews as you want now.**

**Rolling rob robby roberto: that's a long name dude. Anyway, I agree wit u.**

**Kaname's playmate chick: Didn't see that coming. I personally think so too. Maybe we can have a threesome? heh heh.**

**01gangsta: I'm glad you think that. I've only been writing fanfiction for a week or so, so thanks big time dawg.**

**Emoboy: I don't really know if I can or not. I'll see what I can do.**

**Kishamoto's bodyguard: Sounds like you spazzing dude. Plus, Ino isn't the person that Sakura likes in this fic. I'm pretty sure you know who it is though.**

**Malt liquor: I ain't never had malt liquor. I'm glad you think my fic is even better. You should really stop the alcohol.**

**Sneaky sasuke: Things will heat up after this chapter probably. Just wait for it.**

**I would love to get to everyone else, but this page is getting full. On with the story.**

So here she was, sitting in front of the Hokage's desk. Tsunade had a letter in her hand and her face showed that something was wrong. Kaname didn't like to ask questions. She needed to know what was up though. Tsunade must have read her mind because Tsunade spoke her worry.

"I received this letter some time this morning. It's from our friend Senju who I still don't trust. Anyway, he wants you to meet him where the Mountain Village once stood. He says he needs to talk to you about something."

"Does this letter entail what it is he must speak to me about?" Tsunade held her breath. She really didn't want to tell the girl this.

"It's about Sakura. He says there is something that he supposedly knows about you two, but you two do not." Kaname arose from her seat with spunk, but it vanished at Tsunade's next sentence.

"I don't want you going. This Senju doesn't seem to be who he says he is. This could be a trap Kaname. You're staying here." Kaname was flabbergasted. There was no way she was saying no to this opportunity.

"Please let me go Lady Hokage. I must know why Senju wants to see me." Tsunade wasn't exactly the nicest person on the planet and she showed it right here.

"Are you disobeying me? You will not go see him Kaname and that is final!" This was Kaname's first time witnessing Tsunade's wrath. Kaname didn't worry about it as she left the tower. She could easily sneak out. There was a reason why she was called a ninja.

Nightfall fell upon the village like a blanket of snow. Just before Kaname left Sakura's room, she eyed the sleeping beauty. She leant down to give the girl a quick peck on the cheek. She looked so comforted just lying there.

"I'll be back Sakura. Sleep tight for me." Her travel to her former residence was a short one. Her adrenaline rush made sure of that. She wanted to be alone with him so badly. She knew how much she loved him and she was so happy that it would just be the two of them. She also wondered what he needed to talk to her about so urgently. When she saw his red scarf come into view, she jumped from the tree she was on to stand in front of him.

"Senju, I am here as you asked. What is it you must speak to me about?" Senju's hazel eyes looked deep into Kaname's being.

"We can get to that in a little bit. What I want to know right now is your strength. I want to see if you are able to take care of yourself." Kaname didn't understand this.

"Why do you need to know my power Senju? We were in the same squad before this very village was destroyed. I also want to know why you hid your sickness from me and Kodan and what happened to Nagisu?" Senju removed his scarf and emotion finally crossed his face. It was an emotion of sadness.

"You will understand why I hid my sickness from you in due time." He paused for a second before continuing.

"Nagisu is dead. Her body couldn't handle the punishment that Shino had dished out. Anyway, I need to know your power because I need to know if you can discipline yourself." To Kaname, he was talking nonsense. The wind had started to blow harshly. Kaname's skirt and hair blew with it.

"You're speaking nonsense Senju. Tell me so I will understand." Senju seemed to become annoyed by this because he readied his battle stance.

"I need to know if you can hold back your evil side!" His yell of fury told her that he wasn't for anymore talking. He was ready for a battle. As he rushed in, Kaname viewed her surroundings. They were fighting on a lake, so this would give her a somewhat advantage. She moved swiftly to dodge an elbow attack from her predator and looked to counter with a hard knee. She underestimated Senju's speed and found herself lying on top of the water and Senju was gone.

"(Where could he have moved so quickly?") She finally figured out after another attack planted her underwater. When she rose back to the surface, she was floating at his very feet. He looked down at her with disapproval and conviction.

"You've grown weak. Love must have made you blind. No matter, I'm sure you'll pick it up a notch."

"What are you talking about?" Kaname didn't love anyone besides him as far as she knew.

"You do love someone. I can't believe you don't know who." She had noticed. Through his speech, he had dropped his guard. She sprang out of the water like a shark and hovered above his head. After doing a few hand signs, she jumped towards land.

"Water style: Fierce Tsunami Wave!" Senju stood at the shore watching the great tsunami that Kaname had just conjured. He turned back to look at her and smirked.

"Such a small pool of water. Who taught you such a pitiful technique?" He turned back to the great wave of water that rushed at him. Extending his arm, he held the tsunami back with one hand. He grunted a bit before making it settle into its original form. He then vanished above her and dropped his heel atop her head. She felt her vision leave her for just a second and he used this second to move behind the stunned girl and put her in a sleeper lock. She struggled to break free, but the slightly older boy's grip was far too strong.

"Kaname, I can't believe you've grown so weak. Perhaps it's because the power of your Illusion Eye is nearly useless right now." She was getting sick of his taunts and she was going to shut him up even if it killed her.

"I'm not weak Senju. You seem to have gotten stronger." Senju tried his best to stifle a laugh, but he could not."

"You attacked me with that tsunami because you thought my guard was down? Kaname, a ninja must see through deception. I'm sure you could have done that before our village was destroyed. Anyway, your body is tense. Something's on your mind." Kaname had finally gotten his grip to loosen. She grabbed his right arm and through him over her shoulder. He gracefully landed on his feet and she charged him with a shoulder and knocked him down. He sat upright and smiled. He knew that flame. He knew it ever since he attended the academy with her. That was her victory flame. He never saw her lose a fight when her emeralds were blazing like that. He sat up completely and dusted himself off.

"I see you are finally serious. Commence Kaname and show me your ferocity." Kaname gladly listened to her former squad mate. She yelled with the fury of one hundred women as she brought her forearm down upon his right shoulder. Red liquid released itself from the prison of Senju's body and found freedom to the outside world. He then felt a hellish pain towards his rib cage and found that he could not feel his entire left side. Her combo ended with an uppercut right under his jaw that sent him soaring in the air and falling into the river they battled in. Kaname fell to her knees due to exhaustion. There was no way he could have gotten up from something like that. She was wrong however, as he rose from the water, seemingly with ease.

"Don't tell me you are tired already? So be it. Our fight can end for now. I have to talk to you about your love anyway." He helped the tired girl to her feet and motioned for her to sit on a stump next to him. She followed his order and found herself gazing into his misty eyes. She always felt so lost in those eyes. She was snapped out of her thoughts by a hand that was placed on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry for staring Senju. I don't know what came over me." She moved her head down, finding the ground very interesting all of a sudden. She felt his index finger move her face to look up into his eyes once more.

"I must know Kaname. Is there something you see in me?" Kaname had waited for this moment for so long. She was going to tell him exactly how she felt.

"Senju, I've held a crush on you for so long. Ever since you moved to our village, I've always thought of you. Your alluring eyes, your bravery and your courage. We are perfect for each other." Senju could feel her lips closing in upon his. His mind told him she was not meant for him, but his body told him otherwise. As soon as the kiss initiated, they both could feel a special heat build inside their core. Kaname deepened the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. Senju rubbed loving circles upon her back and slowly pushed her to the ground. They finally broke the kiss and Senju looked at her as if he saw a dead woman. He quickly got to his feet as a blush formed across Kaname's cheeks.

"That was definitely unexpected Kaname. I would love to have you, but I was not made for you."

"Of course you were made for me." Kaname was heart struck. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Did he not feel the same way as she did?

"That will be the last kiss we ever share. Not because I don't love you. I have loved you as much as you've loved me. However, Sakura is truly meant for you. You just don't know it yet." Kaname didn't understand what he was getting at. First Sakura's father accused her, now him. This was beginning to piss her off.

"What do you mean? Sakura is only a friend. Besides, she was meant for Sasuke." Senju turned around in a fury. He looked as if he wanted to hit the girl and she became frightened.

"God would not make such an angel for a devil would he? Think about the things you say to one another. The care you hold. Do you not find it… loving?" Kaname didn't want to talk about this any longer. She hated to have too much on her mind.

"Can we talk about this another time Senju? I hate to do too much thinking and Lady Tsunade didn't give me permission to come here. I'll probably be in big trouble when I get back." Senju did not say anything for a while. He turned back to her and smiled.

"You take care of yourself and the village. I'm sure our paths will cross again. Until then, I hope to see you alive and well." These were his final words before he vanished. Kaname's trip back to the village was a lot more tiring than her trip away from it. She guessed it was fatigue from the fight she had with Senju mere minutes ago. She couldn't get what he said out of her head. There was no fucking way she would ever touch another girl. She definitely couldn't do it to her best friend. These thoughts ravaged and plagued her mind. She was making sure she got a good sleep and bath as soon as she got back. Unfortunately for her, Tsunade ruined that plan.

I can't believe you Kaname! I thought I told you not to go and meet that boy. Now look at you, you're beat up from head to toe! Are you deaf or something or are you just plain disobedient? What do you have to say for yourself?" Tsunade was in a fury. She couldn't believe it. Kaname was here for about a week only and she was already misbehaving. Tsunade wished the girl were older. She could have beaten the shit out of her and gotten away with it. Kaname cringed in fear at the site of the Sannin. If she had known the lady's wrath could get like this, she would have never left.

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again." Kaname stuttered.

"You think an I'm sorry is good enough? What kind of lame and pathetic apology is that? I'll tell you what I'm going to do. Luckily, Kaname never got an answer because Shizune arrived with a mountain of paperwork. Tsunade eyed her assistant with a malevolent look before shooing Kaname away. Kaname didn't have to be told twice as she raced out of the room and nearly knocked Shizune off balance.

"Kaname wanted to cry. She had never been fussed at in all her life. She wished she could just wither and die like a flower. She had never been disobedient in all her life. She cursed at herself for being so stupid. When she had made it to Sakura's house, she hid her tears. She didn't want Sakura to worry. Sakura spent much of her free time worrying about the girl and Kaname didn't feel like that was fair.

"Hey Kaname. I hope your punishment wasn't too bad." She gave the girl a weak smile.

"I only got fussed at Sakura. She wondered if she should tell Sakura about what Senju had said. After thinking about it, she decided not to. She was pretty sure it would freak Sakura out. The rest of the night was a regular one and they went to sleep. Tsunade already had a punishment planned out for her… in the form of a mission.

* * *

**There we go. That's the end of this chapter. Again, I thank you for the reviews. I've been fighting tooth and nail to get some and like they say, hard work pays off. Those reviews made me smile and I hope you people will leave me some more. A little bit about the next chapter: It's another filler (Sorry about that, remember what I said about wanting this to feel like an actual anime, that's why I'm doing it.) I also don't want the main story to end so quickly. After it does though, I've got another one thought up. Hopefully my story stays interesting for that long. Anyway, my filler is about a king and bats in the Land of the Growing Sun. As usual, please review and Kaname might just pay you a visit. Heh heh. I'm sure that at least one of you will like that very much. **


	8. Land of the Growing Sun

**I wanna say wuz sup to all my fans and shit. I wanna thank all my reviewers too as usual. Manny and Mewtwo, I wanna thank you guys for reviewing once again. I feel like I've been on the ball as of late, but for some reason this chappy just doesn't appeal to me. It just feels kinda tacked on, but whatever. I'm sure someone will like it. Here we go with chapter 8, Land of the Growing Sun.**

"Don't do this to me Lady Hokage!" Kaname whined. Just yesterday, she thought she was off the hook. Instead of just her being punished, the entire team seven was punished as well. This included Kakashi, though he didn't have a problem with it.

"This is what happens when you don't listen to me Kaname. Sakura should have told you not to go." Sakura bowed her head in sadness, but Kaname was quick to defend her.

"She was asleep when I left the village. There was no way she could have known. What's our mission ma'am?" Tsunade opened her mouth to retort, but decided the sooner they got out of here, the better.

"To the far east of here in the Land of the Growing Sun, people have retorted various sightings of bloodsucking bats attacking from a cave in that area. I want you four to go there and figure out who or what is causing these bats to act so strangely. Failure is not an option, now go." The team made its way to the village gates and headed in the direction of the Land of the Growing Sun. After nightfall hit, the team decided to make camp. Kakashi voiced orders for each person.

"Naruto, I want you to scout for a safe place to set up camp. Sasuke, you'll go with Sakura to collect some wood. Kaname, you'll scout the area for enemies and I will stay here and watch over our belongings. Naruto and Kaname completed their missions quickly, but Sasuke and Sakura were a bit slower. Sakura was so happy she could have fainted. Here she was, with the love of her life and they were alone. Sasuke's thoughts, however, were very different from hers.

"There is something I need you to tell me Sakura. I've been wondering about it ever since the Chunin Exams." His voice hinted anger and Sakura looked away.

"What do you need to know Sasuke? I'll tell you whatever you need to know." She was kinda scared, but she didn't want Sasuke to know. She struggled just to stop her voice from shaking. The boy turned to look at her with his cold eyes. He was also frowning.

"I need to know your true feeling towards Kaname. Don't lie to me either." It was such a brief question, but Sakura knew there was more behind it.

"She's just a friend. That's all she ever will be. I adore you much more Sasuke." Sasuke didn't look convinced, but he didn't ask any further questions. When the team had finally regrouped, a swarm of black bats attacked the group. It was an ass of them, at least one hundred. They looked hungry for blood and they were screeching like crazy. After the bats flew off, they could hear a malevolent voice in the shadows.

"Leaf ninja, if you cherish your little lives, turn back from the path with which you came. This is my only warning. If you come to our land, I will be forced to act." The voice said no more and the team stayed on high alert throughout the rest of the night. Kakashi couldn't help but worry. However, he knew his team could defeat whomever that was that threatened them.

The Land of the Growing Sun was a beautiful and sunny place. It was also a small, but busy town. Workers weaved through crowds and crowds of people, moving boxes and the like. It was almost like New York or something. The buildings were very lavish and carefully built. This seemed like a town for rich people.

"Look at all these people Kakashi-sensei. I've never seen this many in one place." Naruto had to yell to be heard, but he was still heard very clearly.

"We don't have time to sightsee Naruto. We're here to finish a mission." Kakashi adjusted his mask and forehead protector, then signaled for the group to follow him into a temple.

"We wouldn't be on this mission if it wasn't for a certain someone." Sasuke's voice was poisonous and aimed directly at Kaname's heart.

"Look, I know I made a mistake, but you aren't my daddy. You have no right to back talk me Sasuke." Kaname retorted, anger forming across her pale face.

"I dare you to say another word." Kakashi was finally able to calm the two as they ran across a squadron of knights blocking passage to the stairs above. The head of these knights came face to face with Kakashi and eyed him suspicously and put a hand to his chest. He wore a gray armor with a helmet that had a feather in it and a red cape. He also held a red shield of a sun like symbol carved in it and a long silver lance which also had a feather tied around the handle.

"Halt, what is your business here? If you have come to harm the king, begone. We don't want to get rough." Kakashi gave him a goofy smile as he spoke his next words.

"We are Leaf ninja. The king has summoned us here. He supposedly needs our help." Kakashi proved this by pointing to his headband. The knight bowed an apology and motioned for his men to move away from the stairs.

"I am sorry for that. My name is Tioshi Genji, head advisor of the Squadron of the Sun Feather Knights and the king himself. Please, follow me. I will take you to his quarters. The flight of stairs was very long, but they had finally made it to the top inside of a great big throne room. Polished armors were stored in cases all around the room and various sorts of weapons hung gracefully from the walls. The place almost looked like an armory. After walking down the hall, they came face to face with the king himself. He was a great big burly man, who wore Indian attire. He wore a mask of a minotaur skull and metal gauntlets. His voice boomed when he spoke.

"Welcome, Leaf ninja. Please sit and make yourselves comfortable." Tioshi spoke as if he had authority over the Leaf ninja.

"Why are you four still standing? Bow before this great king!" The king hushed him with a quick wave of his hand.

"But sir, you are greatness. They should be bowing to you. No one is worthy to stand in your presence." The king's face showed that he would take no more from Tioshi and that was all it took to shut the commander up.

"Don't mind him. I don't want you to bow because you aren't residents of this village. Besides, you are guests. I want to show you hospitality. Tioshi, I want you to leave us. You have been very disrespectful to these great ninja that have traveled so far to help us." Tioshi was dumbfounded. He couldn't believe that the king was kicking him out. He said nothing as he removed himself from the grand room. The king turned toward the group with a gleam in his eye.

"I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself. My name is Sadayu Moto and I am the king of this town. We've been having various attacks by bats at night by some unknown someone or something. Ever since the death of the previous lord, these bats have been attacking us. I would love it if you could see what was going on." Naruto jumped to his feet excitedly and gave the king a thumbs up.

"Leave it to us. We'll catch this crook before he knows what the heck is going on." Kakashi excused Naruto's rude behavior and decided to start asking questions.

"Mr. Moto."

"Call me Sadayu please."

"Ok then Sadayu. Where is this cave that you speak of?" The man looked to be thinking until he told them it was to the Far West.

The team eventually found themselves in front of a large stone cave. After they went inside, they found there were three paths. Kakashi once again stated his orders.

"I'll take that path on the left. Naruto, I want you to and Sasuke to take that middle path. Kaname, you'll take that path on the right."

"Hey guys? Before we move out, don't you think that voice we heard back then sounded like… never mind." Kaname decided she didn't want to jump to conclusions.

Before the four could move out, they heard that ominous voice again.

"What did I tell you before? You've given me no choice but to act. I will severely punish any or all of you who decide to travel one of these paths. You have been warned." Sakura shuddered, while Sasuke merely smirked. Kakashi looked at each of his students lovingly.

"I want all three of you to promise me something." The team looked at their sensei with determination. He smiled at the love that they showed him.

"I want you all to promise me that you'll protect each other. I want to see you all alive again. Do I make myself clear?" They all nodded their heads and Kaname posed a question.

"Kakashi-sensei, what about you? You're going to be alone. What if something happens to you." Kaname inquired.

"I'll be fine Kaname. I'm a Jonin. I'm used to being on missions alone. Take care you guys." Those were his last words before he vanished into the darkness of the cave.

"Let's get moving Naruto. I don't want to be stuck here with your knucklehead ass for any extra time. I'd much rather just get this thing done." Naruto put an arm around his friend's shoulder.

"Don't think you can boss me around Sasuke. I'll have you know I'm going to be Hokage one day." His voice slowly trailed off as he and Sasuke made their way down the path. This left Sakura and Kaname. Sakura was still shaking. Kaname placed a hand on her shoulder and stared hard into her eyes.

"Stop shaking like this Sakura. We're supposed to be ninja. We can't let a thing like stupid voices and pitch-black darkness seek its way into our souls. We can't allow it to cut into our resolve." The frightened girl didn't even look like she was listening. Kaname could tell she would have to take a more hands on approach. She didn't want to, but she felt it was the only way to get the girl's attention. She threw Sakura against the wall of the cave and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. She was so close to Sakura she could feel her breath on her nose.

"Listen to me! I know we're only genin, but that doesn't mean we can't do this. Just don't worry. We'll protect each other." This seemed to have gotten Sakura's attention because she smiled. She had never noticed how beautiful Kaname really was. She was almost jealous.

"I understand Kaname, but don't you think we're a little too close?" Kaname had just realized it herself. She let go of Sakura as if she was on fire and a blush found its way across both of their cheeks.

"Sorry about that Sakura. I don't quite know what came over me. Let's go. The other three are probably far ahead of us.

"Looks like this is going to be a lot harder than it looks." Kakashi said as he crossed a pit. Using his great ninja ability, he cleared the hole in one jump. He then heard a clapping sound in front of him, but saw no one.

"Well done Kakashi. I didn't think you would survive all these traps. I guess I took the copy ninja for granted."

"That voice! It can't be…" Slowly the figure made himself known and it turned out to be exactly who Kakashi thought it was. However, he didn't understand why.

"Tioshi! Aren't you with king Moto?" Tioshi laughed menacingly as he pointed his lance at Kakashi's throat.

"You ever heard of a spy? That's what I am. I can't stand king Moto. The former ruler of this town was my father. He won the throne fair and square from king Moto. Moto, however, felt differently and killed him. I'm now working for someone else, someone that'll help me take Moto out for good."

"And who would that be?" Tioshi laughed again and took off his gauntlet, revealing a black mark on his wrist.

"Orochimaru."

Back on Naruto and Sasuke's path, they had encountered nothing until they ran into a flight of stairs that went underground.

"Hey Sasuke. I wonder what's down there?"

"I don't think we should do anything just yet Naruto. We still don't know what's down there." Naruto poked Sasuke in the chest as if he were challenging him.

"Are you chicken or something Sasuke? Besides, we're supposed to be looking for answers anyway right?" For once, Naruto had actually made sense to Sasuke. He guessed he could give him credit for that.

"Alright fine. Let's go." As they made their way down, it got darker and darker until they couldn't see shit. Sasuke could hear Naruto's voice crack a bit.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

"See, what did I tell you?" However, things had only gotten worse as they heard a voice… and it didn't belong to either one of them.

"You've fallen right into my trap like mice." Before either genin knew what had happened, they were both knocked unconscious and taken captive. The mystery man eyed the two with hate.

"They should make good bait for the other two girls. Ha ha!

"Kaname and Sakura had a similar experience as to what Sasuke and Naruto first encountered. They also encountered a flight of stairs, but when they got to them they heard two voices speaking. They identified these voices as Tioshi and king Moto.

"So you were defeated Tioshi. How unfortunate."

"Kakashi was just too strong for me."

"Thankfully, I've happened to catch two rats in our trap."

"You mean the two boys? How'd you get them?"

"Like they say, curiosity killed the cat." A sudden boom could be heard and the voice of their sensei could be heard as well.

"I'll make both of you traitors pay. What you two did was wrong." Kaname gave Sakura a look and no words needed to be spoken. They ran down the stairs and cornered both Tioshi and king Moto in the center of the room. Naruto and Sasuke were being bound to the wall by some sort of yellow chakra and were knocked out.

"So the gang's all here. Let's have a party." Moto's voice rang out through the cave. This was going to be a bloody battle.

* * *

**This looks to be a good stopping point. This filler will definitely end by next chapter and you'll understand what Tioshi and Moto did to get him on the throne. In the meantime, please leave a review. I seem to be getting more than I was and thanks for that. Until next time.**


	9. Sakura's little game

**I'm back once again for another exciting update! I've been on a bit of a writer's block as to how I wanted this fight to play out. Thankfully, that block is now over and I can get to writing again. Anything written in Italics is Inner Sakura. I almost forgot to put that. It's time to do the damn thang!**

Tioshi wasted no time in activating his curse mark. His teeth sharpened and his hair became longer. He looked a lot like a werewolf. Kakashi knew the odds were not in his favor. He could handle Moto, but he wasn't sure how Sakura and Kaname would fare against the now wolfish Tioshi. He didn't get much time to dwell on this however because Moto wanted blood. The king threw three harsh punches directly at Kakashi's Sharingan eye. Kakashi was able to evade the blow without much trouble and offer a counterattack in the form of a high kick. Meanwhile, Kaname and Sakura were defending themselves from the many clones that Tioshi had summoned to the battlefield. Needless to say, it wasn't easy. After all of them were defeated, Tioshi decided to attack with his real body. His first objective was to lunge atop Sakura. He leaped from the far corner of the room and he thought he had her until Kaname stood in his way.

"I guess you want to die for the pink haired girl huh? So be it. Either way, one of you will cease to exist." Kaname pulled out her kunai and slashed him right under the stomach. Blood oozed from his wound and he quickly scurried to another corner. Kaname looked over to see that Kakashi needed help. Kaname turned to Sakura and her body language told Sakura to go and help him. Moto had Kakashi to the ground with a spear just inches away from his neck. Just as the spear was about to penetrate through the thin flesh, Sakura threw her kunai and cut the spear into two halves. Moto looked at her with amusement. Sakura decided to give him a look as well. A look of hate.

"Why'd you do all this? The people of this village don't deserve it." Moto wasn't the type of guy that listens to a twelve year old girl. He was a king for Pete's sake. He however told his story.

"When this village was first created, there were five sections. A king would rule each of those five sections. However, after the king of the third section died, his arch rival, the king of the fifth section ordered the mass takeover of his region. Tioshi and I were the two that took over this region. After we felt that. After we felt that victory, we wanted more. Eventually, we destroyed all the kings and now we rule all the sections. However, we're not finished yet." The two teams had managed to regroup.

"What is our place in all this?" Kaname blurted out. This seemed to catch Tioshi's eye and he smiled at the girl.

"Let me explain this king Moto. You see, we wanted to use you guys as pawns. We've already taken over this village. We want your village." Kakashi felt it was time to let his Sharingan come out and play as he removed his headband completely. He stared them both down like a dog.

"You're doing all of this for Orochimaru, aren't you? Is everyone in league with him? It doesn't matter. The three of us will make sure you never step foot in the village." His two female students further stated his claim by nodding their heads. Moto took another spear from the wall and aimed it at Kakashi.

"You talk big, but you have yet to defeat us. We will give you one chance to grovel like the dogs you are or die. It really doesn't matter to us." After Moto noticed that they weren't going to do either, he decided to retaliate. Both he and Tioshi attacked Kakashi. Kakashi only smirked at their stupidity. As long as he had his Sharingan activated, these two would not land a direct attack. His students stood back and watched in awe as he gracefully dodged his foes then attacked them both with a fierce lightning blade. It sent them through the rock walls of the cave and they died instantly. It also released the yellow chakra that bound Naruto and Sasuke to the wall. Yet, they were still unconscious. Kakashi carefully lifted the two boys on his shoulder and smiled at the girls.

"You two fought well. I hope you continue to work like that together. I've had enough of this place. All of the traps in here has got me tired. You guys deserve a break. You two should hop in the hot springs as soon as we get back to the village." To Kaname, that didn't sound like a bad idea. As a matter of fact, that sounded like a splendid idea.

Elsewhere, in the Sound Village, Orochimaru was doing more planning. This guy never stops. He was in his chambers with Katsuya only.

"Lord Orochimaru, Tioshi and Sadayu have been killed." Orochimaru didn't seem phased at all by this piece of information.

"What else could go wrong? They were only pawns for us anyway Katsuya. Whether they lived or died, it wouldn't have really mattered in the end. How is the Mountain Team?" Katsuya looked downward. He was really frightened at what Orochimaru might do.

"I hate to be the one to say this my lord." He paused for a moment, making sure Orochimaru got every little bit and piece of this information.

"They have defected." If the deaths of Tioshi and Sadayu didn't affect him, this sure as hell did. Veins popped out from his head and neck. He picked up a vase that was near him and launched it at the wall. This seemed to be the release he needed and he broke out into a fit of hysterical laughter. It was like he had just saw the funniest thing ever. After he calmed down, he wiped away the saliva that formed on his chin.

"Senju Rokkaku and Kodan Akaza. Who do they think they are to betray me? Too bad Nagisu couldn't. She was under our control anyway. Such an innocent girl too. That's given me and idea though." Katsuya wasn't usually one to get excited, but when Orochimaru has an idea, who wouldn't get excited.?

"What are you thinking" Katsuya asked with a sinister smile.

"Since Kodan is no longer an ally of us and if I can't get Sasuke. He would certainly prove perfect for my next vessel. See to it that no one harms him Katsuya. He must be captured."

Since Naruto and Sasuke were getting treated for their wounds, this left Sakura and Kaname alone and bored.

"Sakura. Let's do what Kakashi-sensei said and go to the hot springs." Kaname had never been to the hot springs before. She had heard that it was extremely relaxing. Sakura hopped in the air a little at this remark. She was so worried about Sasuke that she had totally forgotten about what Kakashi had mentioned just moments ago.

"That sounds perfect Kaname. Do you want to go now?" Kaname blushed and Sakura didn't know why. She found it kinda cute whenever that happened to her. Kaname fiddled with her fingers nervously. She looked exactly like Hinata.

"Won't we be naked?" Kaname stuttered. She was definitely embarrassed. Sakura laughed at her and that made her pout. Sakura put a friendly arm around her shoulder and gave her a small squeeze.

"It's not like you haven't seen the anatomy of a girl Kaname. You are one too…right?" Kaname didn't like how she said that, so she decided to retort.

"Don't act like you don't know I'm a girl. It's just a little embarrassing, that's all. Can we just go and get this over with? I don't want to be there any longer than we have to be." Sakura liked it when Kaname was worried. She was so open and vulnerable. Sakura just loved her personality. They had finally made it to the hot spring and it was exactly how Kaname had envisioned it to be. The water was so clear and beautiful. Steam rose in the air, making it feel moist. It was so beautiful and Kaname's jaw dropped. However, the next sight she would see would scare her half to death. Sakura was actually undressing right before her very eyes! She let out a small squeal and fell backwards into the hot spring. Sakura saw this at the last second and dived in after her. A few seconds later, Sakura was holding Kaname's head above the water and smiling at her. Kaname was shivering uncontrollably.

"Kaname, what the heck happened? One minute you're standing above water, perfectly safe. The next you're nearly drowning." When Kaname actually thought about what was going on, a super pink blush attacked her face. A naked girl was holding her around her waist. She pushed away from Sakura and swam to the other side. Sakura could see her embarrassment and decided to make a little game out of it.

"Don't run from me hot stuff. There's so many things I want to say… and do to you." Kaname thought she heard lust. Yep, that's exactly what she heard. Sakura smirked. Her plan was working exactly how she hoped it would. Before Kaname could make another move, Sakura had managed to pin her against the side of the hot spring. Kaname looked like she was going to die. Kaname squirmed, kicked and screamed. The only way Sakura could think of holding the thrashing wet girl down was to pin her against the sides by using her own body. She also stripped Kaname of all of her clothing.

"_Sakura, we should stay like this. She's so cute when she's blushing." _Sakura was wondering where the hell she came from, but she wanted her to shut up.

"You're the last person I felt like talking to."

"_You're in love aren't you_?" Sakura was just about to hit herself, but decided against it.

"Of course not baka. Kaname's a girl. Why would I like another girl?"

"_Think about this then. Why are you on top of another naked girl_?" Sakura had to admit she was right about that. She let go of Kaname and she looked frightened. She didn't mean to shake the girl up. It was all in good fun… right? She slowly swam toward Kaname, but what happened next would surprise her. When she got in proximity, Kaname leaped on top of her and pinned her under the water using her body weight. She then let her up and looked at Sakura with a champion's grin.

"That's what you get for trying to feel me up."

"I was not trying to feel you up Kaname." Kaname playfully punched her in the shoulder.

"Then what would you call it Sakura?"

"Um."

"Exactly!" A few more hours of playing in the hot spring and they called it a day.

"That hot spring sure is awesome Sakura. We'll have to go there more often. I had so much fun and I have you to thank for it." Sakura couldn't remember the last time she had seen Kaname so happy. It made her happy too.

"You really shouldn't thank me Kaname. It was Kakashi-sensei's idea." Kaname looked puzzled at first, then she smiled.

"But you took me."

"I guess that's true." A long silence fell between them until they made it to Sakura's house. It was already night when they got home. They decided to watch some TV first though.

"Sakura, I want to ask you a question?" Kaname looked like she was embarrassed and another blush was finding its way across her pale cheeks.

"There's no need to be shy. Go ahead and ask me." Kaname didn't like to ask questions of a sexual nature, but she felt she had to know.

"That time when I first arrived here and we accidentally kissed. You said if I wanted you so soon, I should have told you. Were you serious?" At first, Sakura just stared at her with a what the fuck expression. However, that expression turned into a fit of giggles from Sakura. Kaname wanted to knock her out right then and there. She was trying to be serious and Sakura treated her question like it was a child or something. When Sakura relieved herself of her tears of laughter, she straightened up much to the happiness of Kaname. However, she was still pouting.

"Don't get so upset all the time Kaname." Kaname poked Sakura in the chest.

"But you didn't take my question seriously." Sakura snickered and Kaname pouted again. She was just too cute Sakura thought.

"I'm sorry. I just couldn't believe you would think of me like that. You know I want Sasuke. Is that all" With a nod of her head, both ladies were sound asleep.

**A little bit of foul play there ain't it? Anyhow, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. This is one of my less stressful chapters to me because it doesn't involve much fighting. It also showed a strong bonding between Kaname and Sakura and it was kinda funny. Don't forfet to review. The next chapter will be another filler. Sorry. Till next time, Peace!**


	10. Lurkers of the Leaf Festival

**Hey everybody. Your boy Von Faye is here once again to save you all from the entrapment of boredom. The last chapter may have been kind of boring, but I assure you that this one will not. This will deal with another filler. Also, thanks for everyone who reviewed. Here is chapter ten of my story.**

The sun shone brightly through the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Kaname was still in bed, but she could hear loud voices and music outside. She couldn't quite remember all that had happened the other day, but didn't really care. She had also noticed Sakura was gone. The girl had wanted more sleep, but the sun shining through the window was far too much of a nuisance. She climbed out of bed and went outside to see what the ruckus was. When she finally made it, she was amazed at the beautiful site. It seemed the village was holding some sort of fair. Children were running around like little ants while their parents were trying to calm them down. In her amazement, she hadn't noticed a presence behind her. When she was suddenly grabbed from behind, she let out a scream and started to sweat. She heard a boy laugh shortly after.

"I didn't mean to frighten you Kaname." It was her teammate Naruto. She had wondered when he recovered.

"Oh it's only you." The girl said with an annoyed voice, but quickly cheered up.

"You scared me half to death. When did you get out of the hospital?" Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Well, Sasuke and I kind of snuck out. It's okay though. I'm at least ninety percent." Kaname didn't really believe him, but she didn't feel like arguing. They walked through the gates to the fair and paid for their tickets. Shortly after, they ran into the rest of their allies. Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke were sitting at a picnic table eating. When they heard voices call them by name, they turned around. Kakashi was the first to speak.

"Naruto, Kaname, I didn't imagine I would see you guys here." Sakura jumped from her seat to hug her friends.

"Naruto, I'm glad you're okay." She turned to Kaname and blushed. Said girl did the same, then they suddenly laughed. Sasuke decided to intervene.

"What's so funny you two?" Sakura looked uneasy, but Kaname did not.

"It's none of your concern. Don't butt into other people's business. It's rude you know." Sasuke snorted and said nothing more. A moment of uneasiness passed over the group. Kakashi decided to break the silence.

"We should all split up and enjoy ourselves. We definitely need a break after that last mission. What do you say guys? After seeing that no one argued, the boys and the girls took their separate ways. Hours flew by and the teams eventually met each other again near a ride known as the twister. Kakashi was elsewhere however. It was built in the shape of a tornado and it twirled around in an extremely fast motion. Kaname closed her eyes as she saw its deathly spin. Sakura looked at her and whispered in her ear.

"I bet you're too scared to ride it, aren't you?" Kaname removed her hands from her face and glared at Sakura.

"I bet you're too scared Sakura. I dare you to go ride it." Sakura simply shrugged her shoulders and boarded the ride. She shook slightly, but told herself it would be okay. It was a lot more nerve-racking when you actually rode it. As it prepared to spin, something entirely unexpected happened. It had suddenly stopped and everyone started to panic. Sakura didn't think anything was wrong, until she saw a screw fall in her lap. She looked down at her friends with utmost fear. They returned it. Another screw had dislodged itself and the ride itself started to plummet to the ground. Sakura's screaming woke Kaname out of her daze and she prepared to do hand signs.

"I hope this works. Soft Ground Jutsu!" When the ride had smashed into the ground, it bounced a little and landed softly. Sakura wiped beads of sweat from her head. She had thought it was all over. Once again, Kaname had saved her life. Naruto and Sasuke ran over to her.

"You're not hurt or anything are you Sakura?" Naruto questioned. Sakura shook her head and stood up to see Kakashi suddenly poof out of smoke. He had a worried look on his face or what you could see of it. He gave a glance to each of his students before conversing.

"Something's fishy about all this." Sasuke spat on the ground and crossed his arms as he looked at his sensei.

"What's so fishy about a ride being destroyed?" The rest of the team agreed. What could be so fishy about an accident?

"This wasn't an accident first of all. This is the third ride that has been destroyed today. I don't think we're alone. Look above you.

Kakashi was right on the money. High in the sky were two ninjas, a boy and a girl. They both jumped to the ground after being discovered. The girl looked to be young, somewhere in her teen years. She had long blonde hair and wore a golden tiara. Her eyes were of a golden color like a bright sun would probably be. She had long fingers and she was quite tall. She wore a short black vest with a blue long sleeve shirt that was low cut. Her shorts were orange and blue with the design of a flower on the back. She wore diamond earrings. The boy on the other hand wore a demonic mask with a single horn attached to its forehead. It had sharp teeth. He wore a long tan coat that zipped up and was black on the right side and red on the other. His pants came to about his ankles and stopped. They appeared to be made of metal and were silver. He also wore black combat boots and his hair was white. They both laughed before they introduced themselves.

"Look at these pathetic fools. We'll beat them easily. Allow me to tell you the names of your soon to be killers. I am Kagura Tsukasa and this here is my cousin, Hijikata Maeda. We're looking for someone. We think you might know where they are." Kakashi stepped up to the two challengers. There was no way he was going to back down. The air had suddenly felt stuffy all of a sudden. Hijikata looked ready for blood, while Kagura stood with her hands on her hips smiling malevolently.

"Who might you be looking for?" Hijikata scratched his arm and glared at Kakashi. Sasuke put his hand on his shuriken pouch just in case something happened.

"Senju and Kodan. We believe you know these two. You have their third team member with you. You must know their whereabouts." At this, Hijikata's attention moved to the frightened Kaname. She had remembered seeing this man, but she couldn't remember where.

"What do you want with them?" Naruto didn't get an answer. Instead, Hijikata put his hands together as if in prayer and started to perform a chant. Everyone suddenly started to feel tired and before they knew it, they were sound asleep.

"That was easy enough Hijikata. Now we can just kill them." Kagura sharpened her nails and strolled on over to Sakura's sleeping body. Before she could do anything else, a kunai made her jerk her hand back and two men landed behind the two intruders.

"That's as far as you go. It's about time we put a stop to your crimes. Such filth you two are." Hijikata turned to see Senju and Kodan, the exact people they were looking for.

"Well sis, it looks like we've got company." Kodan readied his hammer and a look of rage.

"We have company indeed Hijikata. Let's say we give them a warm welcome."

"What do you want with us?" Kagura looked sad. That look quickly changed though.

"They don't remember us Hijikata? I feel sad. Let us refresh your memories." She pulled out a headband stained with blood. It was a headband of the Mountain Village. Senju and Kodan looked at one another. It all came flooding back to them. It was only about a year ago.

(Flashback)

"_Look out Niiro-sensei!" Kaname screamed at the top of her lungs. He was able to dodge both Hijikata's and Kagura's attacks. He attacked them both with a huge elbow and turned back to his frightened and beaten students._

"_Get out of here! I'll handle these two!" Kodan decided to speak up._

"_We're not leaving you!"_

"_Don't disobey me! Go!" Before either Kaname or Kodan could object, Senju grabbed the two and fled. This left Niiro to fend off his attackers alone. It had started to rain. The air became heavy and both Kagura and Hijikata were ready to finish things._

"_You two Chunin think you can defeat a Jonin like me? You must be out of your minds." Days passed and Niiro had not returned to the village._

Senju shook with rage, but his voice was surprisingly calm.

"He died by your hands. Our Jonin sensei hasn't been avenged yet. He will be today though. What you two did was unforgivable. Kodan and I will make you regret that day. I must know, how exactly did you kill him?" Kagura looked to be waiting to here that because his voice was filled with happiness, completely the opposite of his look.

"I'm glad you asked. It wasn't too gruesome. Let's just say he doesn't know what it's like to have insides anymore." Kodan, the headstrong of the group, charged at Hijikata recklessly.

"You're not using your head Kodan! Think about what they did to Niiro! You fool!" Kodan swung harshly at Hijikata, but he evaded the blow by simply flicking the hammer with his index finger. Kodan finally learned what he was up against and leaped back to Senju's side. Kagura smiled at Kodan's stupidity.

"It's not everyday you see a Genin that dumb. Senju, how do you put up with him?" Senju ignored Kagura's comment. He hated people who talked too much.

"People like you two deserve to die." He gave Kodan a follow my lead look and Kodan acknowledged it by nodding his head. Senju snapped his fingers and team seven vanished.

"That'll put them someplace safe for the moment. I don't want something unexpected to happen to any of them. Now that we've got that settled, how about we get to killing each other?" Kagura sharpened her nails again as Hijikata prepared to fight as well.

"I though you'd never ask." This was the female's last sentence as she rushed Senju with blinding speed and attacked with a swipe of her right hand. Senju swayed backwards to dodge the attack. He himself jabbed the girl in her stomach and she leaned into the blow, causing herself more pain. Kodan moved quickly to dodge three straight punches. He ate a knee to the jaws that put him off balance, but not long enough for Hijikata to really capitalize. Kagura had managed to create some distance between herself and Senju and prepared one of her jutsu.

"You're quite a strong Chunin Senju. I however am even better. This is one of the reasons why. Poison Style: Great Death Ivy Jutsu!" Between the area where Senju and Kodan stood, a great big black oak tree shot up out of the ground. Its leaves were of a purple color and it they busted and sprayed poison all about. Senju and Kodan moved quickly. They had guessed this was the attack they killed Niiro. They had successfully dodged the attack, but it left them winded. When they turned to look behind them, they found no sign of their opponents. Kodan looked at Senju.

"Where did they go man? I don't like this at all." This was the first time in a look time that an opponent had confused Senju. Even he was worried and that was saying something. The tree vanished and Hijikata appeared in its place. He created clones of himself and attacked the two youngsters with them. His clones were easily defeated, but it allowed him to hide himself once more. Once that happened, Kagura and the real Hijikata broke out of a concession stand that stood right in front of the two. Kagura had managed to slice Senju's face then rocked him with a hard knee to his forehead that knocked the consciousness out of him. Kodan was completely confused, so it was no surprise when Hijikata grabbed the hem of his robe and blasted a beam through his chest. Kodan flew and landed beside his knocked out partner. Kagura and Hijikata dusted themselves off.

"They should have known better Hijikata. Too bad they had to be taught the hard way. Let's get out of here. Let's head to the house of mirrors. We can use it as our next plan of attack." Hijikata did not argue and they made their way there. Senju opened one eye to see if his attackers were gone. He slowly rose to see Kodan already standing.

"Looks like playing possum worked. Nice going Senju. We know what they want. They must have thought we were dead." Senju stood and motioned with his head for Kodan to follow him. Senju led Kodan into a bathroom where team seven was. Kodan gave Senju a funny look and stifled a laugh.

"Of all places Senju, you transport them inside a bathroom? You sure do have a weird way of thinking." Senju grunted and looked at his childhood friend.

"It is the biggest place here isn't it? If you were looking for someone, I bet the last place you would look was the bathroom right?" Kodan hadn't thought about that and he didn't want to. He hated to think about life without Kaname. He was snapped out of his thoughts after seeing both Kaname and Sakura move a little.

"Yo Senju. Sakura and Kaname are waking." Sure enough, Sakura and Kaname opened their eyes at the exact same time and instantly became alert. Kaname calmed as she felt Senju's hand touch her leg.

"You alright Kaname?" She smiled as she saw Kodan. He looked exactly as she remembered him. He was always the funny one of the group.

"Why are we in a bathroom and what are you two doing here?" Sakura asked. Senju stood and looked at the girl.

"It was the best place to hide you from those attackers and the reason why we are here is because we felt that something bad was going to occur." Kaname had suddenly remembered where she had seen those two before, but Kodan read her mind.

"They want more than just our sensei Kaname. They want all three of us. We can't let that happen." Sakura remembered the story that Kaname had told her when she first arrived.

"Kaname, those two are the ones who killed your sensei?" Kaname sadly shook her head. She stood with valor and gave each of her partners a glance.

"Do you know where they headed?" Senju smiled at her and turned to the direction of the house of mirrors.

"They said they were going to the house of mirrors. We'll have to go through the haunted house to get there. We'd better be careful when we go too. Hijikata had the ability to make the inanimate become animate." Kodan rose to go with them, but Senju put his own hand to Kodan's chest.

"Stay here and watch them Kodan. We don't want them to suddenly be ambushed." Kodan looked sad, but agreed. Without another word, the three headed to the direction of the house of mirrors. Kaname and Senju were thinking the same thing.

"Master, we will avenge you."

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**Man, that chapter felt long as crap. This filler will probably end next chapter and I'll get back to the main story. I found this one particularly exciting. Anyhow, now that you have read this, now it's time to review this. Until next time. **


	11. Kodan: The next vessel for Orochimaru?

I** can't believe it. Chapter eleven is here. I thank anyone who is still here reading this. I didn't imagine I would get this far. Once again, I thank everyone for their support. As I said before, my filler will probably end here and get back to the main story. I've talked enough. On with the story.**

The three ninja raced in the direction of the House of mirrors. Kaname wondered what could they possibly want to go there for? She guessed it didn't really matter right now. All that really mattered at the moment was that her and her friends were safe. Revenge was clean on her mind, but Senju's voice shook her back to reality.

"This is the entrance to the haunted house. I've already warned you before, but these guys probably have some sort of trap waiting for us. If they do, I'll hold them off and you two can go on ahead. We are all going to stay close together. Becoming separated at this point will only get us killed." Sakura and Kaname said nothing, but they followed the leader close behind. Senju opened the doors to the haunted house. Everything was pitch black. It was so dark you could hardly see you hands if you held them in front of you. As they made their way deeper inside the attraction, their eyes had started to adjust and they could barely make out their surroundings.

Skulls were lined up along the walls. Off into a far corner stood a skeleton that was trapped in a cage and a coffin sat directly beside him. As they passed this skeleton, they heard a slight snicker and Senju ordered them to stop.

"I'm hoping I was the only one to hear that snicker." He heard Sakura squeal like a mouse and turned to her. His worse fear had been realized. He prepared his battle stance as the skeleton in the cage broke free of its bondage and the coffin's door rose to show its sleeping death, a mummy stained with the blood of warriors and kings.

"Remember what I said. Get out of here! I will deal with these." Senju's voice came out urgent and commanding. Kaname knew that voice and knew that it would be best to listen to him.

"Come on Sakura, let's go!" Before Sakura could utter a word, Kaname took her by the arm and raced off in the opposite direction. This left Senju all alone. He laughed as he stared at his soon to be enemies.

"There are many of you. Let's see how long you can entertain me."

Kagura tapped her foot impatiently as Hijikata broke through another mirror. He huffed with anger and turned back to his annoyed cousin.

"It's not here anywhere. This has to be where Niiro put it." Kagura walked over to him and place a firm hand on his shoulder.

" There isn't a need to find his scroll anyway. Why would we want to use such a thing?"

"Because he would have destroyed you both which such a thing!" Kaname and Sakura raced inside to find shards of glass all across the floor. Hijikata looked at the two and threw his head back in laughter.

"Well look what the cat dragged in? Niiro's other brat and the stupid girl from earlier." You woke up faster than we expected you to. Where are your other friends? Were they too afraid to face us? Kaname seethed at these remarks, but she knew better than to attack an opponent she hardly knew about. She took a deep breath before noticing how sharp Kagura's nails had become.

"Why are we sitting here talking to them Hijikata when we could just kill them? If you two just give up, we'll give you a quick and painless death." Hijikata stepped beside his cousin as Sakura slowly pulled a kunai from her pouch. Hijikata ripped off his two colored coat, exposing scars across his chest and torso. He touched his chest, then quickly pulled his hand back as if the scars bit into his flesh.

"These were placed here by your pathetic sensei Kaname." His voice was filled with rage and he pointed at said girl.

"Since we cannot kill him twice, I'll just kill you now!" Kaname pushed Sakura out of the way as she blocked a crippling high kick from Hijikata. If Sakura was hoping she could get a break, Kagura made sure that didn't happen. Without a moment of hesitation, the blonde Kagura released her frustrations out on the poor Sakura. Sakura wasn't going to be killed that easily as she moved just in time to make Kagura shatter a mirror. She screamed in pain as shards flew everywhere, like icicles threatening to destroy. Sakura saw this as her chance and followed up with a swift kick to the girl's midsection. Sakura's combo didn't last long because she felt Hijikata's hand wrap around the back of her neck and sling her against the various mirrors scattered about the place. Needless to say, Sakura was in an ass load of pain. Kagura and Hijikata both vanished suddenly, but their voices could still be heard.

"Look at them Kagura. They don't have any idea where we are. They are like sacrificial lambs. Shall we feast on them?" Kaname didn't like the sound in his voice or the pain they had put Sakura through. She wanted to rush over to the girl, but that would end up making her drop her guard. She decided to stay put.

"Where are you two? Come out here and fight me face to face you cowards!" Kagura was starting to become annoyed.

"What need is there to play fair? Putting forth the least amount of effort while securing a victory is enough in my book." Sakura had finally started to rise just as she saw Hijikata's reflection appear in a mirror near her. Out of nowhere, he struck her right in the eye. She flew back into a wall and hit it hard. Kaname wasn't having much luck either as she defended from all sides from Kagura. Her defenses were eventually dropped and she landed near her pink haired comrade. Sakura helped the pale girl to her feet and they got back to back as more Hijikatas and Kaguras appeared on the mirrors. This reminded Sakura of Haku. She could feel Kaname's body quaking from pain. She wished she could reassure her, but that would have to wait.

"Kitten, be careful of them. They are using clones to try and destroy us. It won't matter. Our resolve is much stronger than theirs. They are using cowardly tactics to win this battle. This is already a win for us. Don't worry about me Kitten. I'll be fine." She could feel Kaname turn around and grasp her waist just as a red substance sprayed on Sakura's shoulder. Sakura reluctantly turned her head to look straight into Kaname's eyes. She had never saw hurt like that. Kaname clung to the girl with all her might. Once again, Kaname had saved her. This might be the last time. Kaname's body dropped as Hijikata's blade slowly removed itself from her back. Sakura knelt beside her barely alive friend. If Kaname's life were to be taken, then she would kill both Jonin without a moment of reluctance.

"Don't die on me Kaname! There is still so much we don't know about each other!" She could hear Kaname's breathing become shallow. She took the pale girl's head in her arms and held it close to her chest. She could hear Kagura and Hijikata's bitter laugh.

"Oh look Hijikata. Isn't that cute? She doesn't want her little friend to die. She can't be saved girl. No one can survive an attack like that. Consider her dead" Hijikata laughed once more. Kaname sounded hoarse as she spoke, but she wanted Sakura to know how she felt.

"Don't feel sad Sakura. Death is a part of life. Everyone will experience it sooner or later. Mine just came a little earlier than everyone else." That's when Sakura finally put on her thinking cap. How could she have been so stupid? She slapped herself mentally. She didn't do all that training with Tsunade for nothing. She ripped open Kaname's shirt to get a better look at the wound. Kagura wasn't lying. She had a big hole in her stomach, but Sakura was sure she could stop the breathing. While this was going on, Hijikata or more like his clone looked at the girl questioningly and Kagura laughed again.

"What are they doing? Oh I see. I guess they can't wait." Sakura was getting sick of her stupid laugh, but more important matters had to be tended too. She created a green chakra across her hands and laid them on Kaname's stomach. Said girl winced and ushered Sakura to keep going. Hijikata's eyes widened and he spoke to Kagura.

"We have to stop this. That green chakra of hers heals allies. We can't let this battle draw on."

"I agree entirely. Let's finish this." The clones all vanished and Kagura and Hijikata rushed Sakura from two different angles. If she didn't move now, she would die. Thankfully however, two Naruto clones kicked both fighters into the air, followed by two Sasuke's kicking them back to the ground, then two Kakashi's attacking them both with his trademark lightning blade. The two Jonin spun through the mirrors like crazy. Shortly after, Kodan and Senju appeared beside Sakura.

"How is she doing?" Sakura looked worried, but Kaname smiled brightly.

"I'm feeling great. She's come a long way as a medical ninja. I could have never guessed it. Who taught you?"

"Tsunade." Sakura uttered this with a bit of cockiness and Kaname giggled. Senju smiled something he hardly ever did.

"Let's get you back to the Leaf. Kodan, you and I will go elsewhere."

"Why exactly? You are welcome in the Leaf anytime." Senju gave Kakashi a solemn look, but his voice said otherwise.

"Kodan and myself have heard rumors that Orochimaru has plans for a vessel. If he can't have Sasuke, he wants the next best thing… this man right here." With this last statement, he pointed to his blonde squad member. Kodan looked angry and hauled his hammer on his shoulder.

"I'm glad Orochimaru thinks so highly of me. We don't want to hold you guys up any longer. We'll see you later." The boys vanished and the team made their way back to the village. Elsewhere, Senju and Kodan found themselves on a mountain trail just talking.

"Yo Senju. Do you actually think Orochimaru actually wants me as a vessel?

"You say it like you are weak or something. But then again, I'm sure no one wants to be a vessel. Why do you ask friend?" Kodan scratched his head and gave Senju a weak smile.

"You are a lot stronger than me, plus you have those souls inside of you. He would fare a lot better with your power."

"Which is why we plan to give it to him." Senju and Kodan knew that voice. Kabuto came from the rear and Doichi came from the other side. Kabuto pushed his glasses up on his nose and Doichi readied his blade.

"I'll be damn if I'm going to be Orochimaru's new host. I don't like him and I never will." Kodan's fire burned bright, but Doichi was ready to douse that.

"He doesn't care if you like him or not. As a matter of fact, we don't care if you like him or not. Last time I checked, that didn't matter. All that matter was that we have you in our possession."

"Nicely said Doichi." Senju put a hand on his bandages, but Kodan grabbed his wrist.

"I don't think that's safe man. If Orochimaru were to learn about power like that, he might change his mind about his host." Kabuto wondered what they were whispering about.

"What are you two blabbering about?" Kodan flipped him off as Senju snickered.

"That's none of your business. May I ask where you two would like to be buried?" Doichi pointed his blade at Senju.

"Alright. I've had enough of this. You two are dead!"

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**Sorry, but you'll have to wait for the fight next time. Things are only going to get better as this goes on. Also, no more fillers until the main story is over I think. Hopefully, that'll make you guys happy. Until next time, please leave a review. They make me happy.**


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